


The Secrets We Keep

by arjasmo



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-08-29 14:48:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 49,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16746037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arjasmo/pseuds/arjasmo
Summary: Sometimes the best way to hide is to keep moving, not have any ties, stay one step ahead. That’s what Rose did. She didn’t have a permanent job, few ties and was adept at staying hidden. That’s why the job at the huge estate of the Doctor was perfect. No cell service, no internet and no contact. It couldn’t have been better. But what of the reclusive, enigmatic owner of the estate, the man who kept popping up around her? He had a secret occupation, left at a moment’s notice, yet seemed to be getting closer by the day. Then it all went to hell. Then it got worse.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to my fic. This one came to me one morning when I was thinking about how someone could have a series of jobs, stay employed, still take care of oneself, yet be off the grid and hard to find. I always let the development of the characters and how they evolve help me decide if there needs to be smut or not. In this case, the characters took me there. It's not the searing, mind-bending smut that some of my contemporaries do, but it's fun. It takes a while to get there too. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy my newest offering. The first installment is massive, like usual. But I tend towards huge chapters anyway. This is most likely two chapters put together. Let me know what you think!

Wilf looked at his watch as the car grew nearer. The timing was perfect. He would get to show the new girl the property and still have time for the nightly chores if she didn't take the job. Oh, he hoped she would take it. He had interviewed five other people before she contacted him. Five others had said no, that the workload was too much, the boss was weird, or they didn't like being out of touch. He hoped this one would stick around. She had sounded nice on the phone, but he hadn’t been able to talk long on the phone at the library in town. To save everyone's time, Wilf had told her that there was much to do, it could be unhospitable there, cell phones did not work and there was no Wi-Fi, yet she still came. 

He had sent a car for her that very day, as it seemed she was eager to start. He wondered idly why she wanted to, she sounded young, but didn't mention a significant other of any sort. Not that it would have mattered. She had all the right experience, she had worked with horses, chickens, dogs, and even cows, though Wilf had none of those. Now if she would just be OK with the owner of the property, all would be good. 

The car pulled up and out of the back seat came a blonde young woman who instantly put a smile on Wilf's face, mostly because she was also grinning. She had a backpack slung over her shoulder and a big duffle bag that she set on the ground next to her as she stuck out her hand. 

"Hello," I'm Rose, you must be Wilf."

Her energy was contagious. "Hello dear girl, I am indeed Wilf welcome to Gallifrey manor."

"It's lovely, "Rose gushed, taking in the huge, manor house. It was made of dark stone, almost like it had intended on being a castle but stopped short. Besides the grounds being mostly natural grass, which was mostly overgrown, there were large stone planters, all holding sad, dead or dying plants. 

"Oh, my dear, no need to embellish, I'm afraid that my health and lack of help has led to the grounds falling on hard times. We used to have a full staff here, gardeners and groundskeepers, but they are all gone now. Huh, it's been nearly 10 years since I have even thought about all that. No, it's just me working here now, or you possibly if it's a good fit. "

Rose looked around again. She could tell that this had been once a grand manor. She could picture the flower gardens and beautiful walks. It must have been lovely. But that was how she worked, seeing potential in things. Maybe, if she got the job, she could start to rehab the grounds. She certainly hoped she would get it, if not she had nowhere to go tonight, and her wallet couldn't take another hotel stay. 

Wilf led Rose through the grand door into the manor house. Inside wasn't a whole lot better than the outside. The lighting was low, and it took a minute for her eyes to adjust. It, too, held echoes of a once brilliant manor. But now the windows were covered in drab draperies or dark wooden shutters. The floors were stone and Rose imagined just how cold they got in winter. The rugs on the floor were few and far between. The walls were either stone or painted in drab colors that matched the exterior. 

Wilf ushered her down the hall. "I'm actually quite embarrassed at the sight of the place now that I'm showing it too you. It has been the master of the house and I for so long, I guess we didn't really think about interior decorating. I'm sure that he would be up to any changes you would like though. "

Wilf led her around, showing her the various living spaces. He opened the door to a room on the second floor that had more sunlight in it than the others. "This would be your bedroom. Also, if you agree to stay, I would remain on for a few weeks to make sure you learned about everything before I have my leave."

Rose walked into the room. It had a canopy bed draped in sheer white fabric. Rose lifted an eyebrow at Wilf. He laughed. "One of our maids years ago had a princess obsession. I brought the bed in special for you. You know, a feminine touch and all. Maybe a little respite from the darkness of the overall place. " He smiled nervously. 

"I love it, thank you, Wilf. " She blushed. It had been a while since someone, anyone had done something special for her. She could tell Wilf was trying though. The house was depressing overall, but this room was delightful. 

He directed her to put down her bags and follow him. Next, he took her to the kitchen. It, too, had dark features, granite counter tops and such. It was also not lit particularly well. But the appliances were modern. As they were looking around, Rose caught a shadow of a man behind Wilf, but only for a second. 

She leaned in close. "Is that the owner of the house?" she whispered. Wilf turned around but the shadow had gone. 

"Most likely, my dear. He's a bit of a... recluse. In fact, none of your job actually deals with him. You just go about your daily activities and he will go about his. You don't have to cook for him, but he expects you to clean. Around here though, it is mainly dusting. There is little activity that causes dirt. "

Rose nodded, not able to take her eyes from where the man had been. She she broke off her thought process. "Um, so you say that there is no cell service here, how about Wi-Fi? I mean, do you have any contact with the outside world?

"No, not as such. We go to town periodically and get our mail, that’s also were I called you from. He turned to a phone attached to the wall. It was an older model, but had no buttons, just a receiver. "That leads me to the one rule of the house. Do not answer the phone. "

"OK... why?"

"It belongs to the Doctor. It's only his. It doesn't dial out anyway. It exists on a very old land line."

"Who is the Doctor?"

"Oh, my dear, I suppose I should have led with that. That is the name of our benevolent employer. His real name is John Smith but he doesn't go by it, at least not anymore. "

"This is his house?" Does anyone else live here?"

Wilf's eyes took a sad shape, watering. He looked away. "No, everyone is long gone." His voice cracked slightly. Then he took a big breath. "Shall we go into the back and see the stables then?"

He was out the door in a flash, Rose struggling to catch up with the old man who had become suddenly spry. 

OoOoO

Outside there was a large black barn that was lined with stable doors to allow horses into a large paddock. It looked as though they could be locked in at night if needed. Around the other side was a chicken coop and a fenced in area for goats. She could see the remnants of green houses and possibly outside vegetable gardens. It was clear that the back of the residence used to be alive with all sorts of activity. Now the only living things were the animals, and they didn't look very happy either. They were well cared for though, the pens were well care for. 

"How far back does the land go?" Rose asked, shading her eyes and looking towards the wood that lined the pastures. 

"Oh, many acres. The house sits on 200 acres. You can go into those trees on trails that wind around for miles. The Doctor keeps several horses, all that know those trails very well. He will go on long rides. That is why one of your jobs will be to take care of the horses. You know about them, don't you?"

"Honestly, I've taken care of them before, but not long term. I'll have to learn the finer points. But I know about feeding, brushing and cleaning up after them. "

"Then you'll do fine. We have a farrier that comes in for the shoes too. I'll be here anyway for a bit to make sure you know."

Wilf led her into the barn. It was quite big on the inside too. It had a hay loft as well as four individual areas, one for each horse. For a barn is was very well kept. It was tidy with nice stacks of various foods for the horses as well as a nice tack room at the end. Rose approached the horses, all of them were sticking their heads out of their individual stable to greet her. She petted each, giving them each a carrot that Wilf produced out of nowhere. She came to the last one, he was bobbing his head around, snorting. Rose gave him a smile. 

From behind her Wilf spoke. "Be careful with that one miss, he's full of piss and vinegar. He has bitten his fair share of people. "

Rose walked up slowly, showing the horse the carrot. "Do you want this?" she asked. "If you do, you have to be calm. As she got closer, the horse banged his head on the bars, but then stilled. Carefully Rose laid a hand on his nose, murmuring soft things. The horse picked the offered carrot delicately from her hand. Wilf let out a low whistle. 

"In all my years. I have never seen that before." His eyes had gone wide in amazement. 

"What's his name?" Rose asked, gently stroking the horse's nose. 

"MIDNIGHT," came a strong voice behind them. Rose whirled around to see a man, the shadow man. He was tall, dressed entirely in black from his scuffed-up boots, jeans, jumper and black leather jacket. He wore a sour expression, making his eyebrows look like they were beating down on her. He had a proud nose and prominent ears, but his eyes. His eyes were cold and blue. But the blue of the sea, just before it wanted to storm. 

Rose stood there, staring at him, removing her hand from the horse. "Hello, I'm Rose." She stuck out her hand, hoping it would not reflect the shaking inside of her. 

He looked down at her hand for a second then stuck out his. "I'm the Doctor. So, you're taking over from Wilf?"

"Hopefully. " They shook hands and let go. His hand almost totally engulfed hers. He was well calloused, not at all what she would expect from an owner of a manor house. 

"Where are you from?" he asked, insistently.

"London originally. "

"But not now?" His eyebrow raised. 

"No, not really, I've been doing a lot of care taking. It takes me all over. " She looked directly at him, she could tell that her boldness intrigued him because his eyes took on a shine. 

"So, you live nowhere full time?"

Rose blushed, not out of embarrassment, but he was getting close to things she wasn't willing to talk about. "Nope, I love the freedom of living different places. I lived in Scotland for a year, I've been all over. “

His expression switched to one of inquiry rather than the hardness he started with. "You have experience with animals?"

"Yes sir, all sorts of things. Plus, plants and vegetable gardening, and I do some light construction things, and of course cleaning. "

"Sounds like what I’m looking for, but please, don't call me sir. Doctor will suffice. "

"OK..." She trailed off, not knowing where to go from there. He was certainly a peculiar man, not bad looking, actually rather handsome, but odd. His demeanor was odd too, coming on strong then backing off. He was a hard one to read. 

The Doctor went up and pet his horse, who nuzzled up against his hand. "This one is a tough one. Be careful with him. But he's a great horse. He and I have been through a lot together. " He turned back to her then looked to Wilf. "Wilf, may I take over from here?" I'd like to show her the grounds and the house a little more. Then you can have her this afternoon to train more. "

"Sounds good to me." Wilf did a little salute and hustled off. Rose was surprised at how fast he moved given his age. 

The Doctor led Rose out of the barn, carefully closing the barn door. He had to jiggle the latch a few times to get it right, and Rose made a mental note that the door was tricky. He took her away from the barn and around the back-garden area. He showed her the greenhouses, explaining that they used to be full and had fallen into disrepair as he no other staff presently but Wilf. Rose wanted to ask why they had such a change, but something kept her from going any further. He made no leading statements and made no attempts to embellish, so she just dropped it, hoping that an explanation would come to her eventually. 

He was a man of few words, Rose noticed. Few words and fewer explanations. He showed her the trails and different paddocks for animals but gave little information other than instructions. It was also uncomfortable how he kept looking at her, like he was evaluating, but never said anything. He seemed nice, but distant. 

Once they were done with the outside, the Doctor took her back into the house. Rose had been making notes in her head about how if she got the job she could make some simple changes to the outside to spruce up the place. 

The interior was another being altogether. As he led her through the downstairs living space Rose had to say something. "Is there a reason that there is no natural light in here? It's so dark. "

He turned and looked back, his eyebrows heavy. "Why do you ask?"

Rose stopped. "Ok, I just thought that a little sunlight, or lights on might make it look cheery. " As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. 

The Doctor scowled, and Rose wanted nothing more than to suck the words back out of the air. But then, he broke into a small, nearly imperceptible, smile. "Well I suppose there’s no real reason for it to be this dark. I never really thought about it and Wilf never asked. If you decide to make it brighter in here, I won't fight you. I'm not here very much anyway. "

Seeing a little open door, Rose jumped. "So, what is it that you do Doctor? Are you a regular Doctor?"

His expression flashed fierce again, and this time did not soften. "They call me Doctor because I fix things and people. That is what I do. That's all you need to know. I'm not here all the time, and when I am, I have things to do. So, you will have the place to yourself. All I ask is that you keep the house from falling down and keep the animals alive and safe. What you do on your spare time is up to you."

"How do you get supplies?"

"Oh yes, there is a vehicle you can use, a truck, to go into town. I’ll pay you enough to cover your needs, so you don't have to worry about anything. I will also reimburse you for anything you spend on the house. The feed for the animals is paid for annually, you just have to go in and pick it up once a month, hence the truck. "

"You said I may have spare time; do you have satellite TV or internet?"

He chuckled, low and deep. "No, I haven't seen the need. Wilfred is not much of a TV watcher. We're too far out for internet, I haven’t checked to see if we can have satellite. Beyond that I haven’t looked to see if there are other options. I don't need it, neither did Wilf. I suppose one day I'll look into it. He’s already told you about my phone. It works on a land line that was put in in the 1960’s. Don’t answer it."

Taking the look on Rose’s face as disappointment, he continued. "But we have a library. I mean I have one... Come with me."

"That sounds exciting." Rose said, lighting up, bouncing on the balls of her feet. 

The Doctor couldn't help but smile too. He led her up to the top floor. On the way he passed a heavy door that was closed. "This is my room and office. I maintain it, you don't have to go in there. "

"OK..." She gave him a questioning, if not suspicious look. 

He chuckled again. "It's nothing secret, just a bedroom, but I won't make you clean up after me. "

He took her down the hall to another door. This one he creaked open and flicked on a light switch. It was a library alright, a huge one. Rose stepped in and had to stifle a gasp. "It's amazing!" she gushed, taking in the stacks of books that went up to the ceiling. Some looked old, their bindings starting to tear with age, but then some were shiny and new. 

Rose ran her hand along the books in the nearest shelf. "These aren’t all old. You have some new releases."

The Doctor put his hand on his chest in mock affront. "How old do you think I am?"

Rose whirled around. "I'm sorry I just."

He laughed, deep and full. Rose found herself smiling too. This was the first glimpse of humor he had given in the hour they had been together. "Rose, I like books, all kinds of books. I travel a lot, so I go to bookstores and purchase a lot. Then I store them here. You are welcome to anything you find. " He paused. "And If you'd like, I'll get a TV set up in the living room below, with a DVD player, if that will make you more comfortable."

Rose looked at him questioningly. "Does that mean I get the job?"

"You had the job when you showed up. " His smile had faded somewhat, but it was still there, and his eyes were still shining brightly. He looked a bit like a kid at Christmas and she couldn’t figure for the life of her why. It wasn’t creepy in the least. He just looked excited. But his moods were many and changed fast, she wondered just how he would be like in the long run. 

She met him with a bright smile. "Thank you, you don't know how much this means to me, really." 

"It’s hard to find anyone who wants to live out here. So, do you have stuff somewhere? I will pay to have it shipped."

Rose looked down. "Um, that's very generous, but no thanks. I have everything I need. "

The Doctor raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, but turned out of the library, Rose followed without talking. She had hoped that any awkward conversation about why she was moving so far from London and had nothing to her name would not come up, but it always did. Maybe this time she would be comfortable enough eventually to not lie about it. 

The Doctor didn't push any further though, but instead took Rose farther down the hall to another door, this one was larger than the rest. He hesitated with his hand on the doorknob as if he wasn't sure about showing her its contents. But when she was right up next to the door, he opened it, this time walking in before her. 

Again, Rose was shocked at the contents, but this time for an entirely different reason. She took a few steps in, turned a full 360 and was at a complete loss for words. The room was full of the most eclectic collection of things. There were stuffed animal heads, various tribal looking shields, a few of which were burned, as well as pottery, most of it broken. The centerpiece was a full sized, stuffed rhinoceros. It had its head down, as though it was going to charge. She had an urge to reach out and touch its horn, that looked like it could skewer her in a second but decided against it. She spun to face him. "This is impressive, it's a trophy room, right?"

The Doctor paled a little. "I'm showing it to you to tell you that you needn't clean it. In fact, you never have to go into it again. It's one of my rooms. I clean it and tend to it. It's not a trophy room. It’s a… well… I call it my 'Failure Room'. "

He didn't offer anything else by way of explanation then just simply led her out. 

They made their way down to the kitchen area when they met up with Wilf. He was busy setting out all sorts of food to make sandwiches. He smiled hugely at them when they joined him. "I figured that we should have a little celebratory lunch. Then I can show you more things.”

Lunch was nice and cozy. Wilf told stories and generally entertained Rose, but the Doctor contributed little. Rose tried to figure him out, but it was difficult with the little material he presented. He wasn't cross, just not very talkative. He had a brusque manner about him, and seemed to tend toward broody behavior, but he wasn't difficult. She figured with time he would come around. If not, this job was going to be very lonely. That was the only thing that stuck with her as far as disadvantages. She was far out of society, like she wanted, well, needed, it had no cell service or internet, a disadvantage for sure, but also a good idea to not have temptation. All she was hoping for now was that there would be someone to talk to periodically. 

They were just finishing up the crisps when the phone on the wall rang. Rose nearly jumped out of her chair at the volume of it. It was an older phone and must have a real bell inside of it. The echoing of similar ringing throughout the house let Rose know that there were several of those phones throughout the house. 

The Doctor was on his feet instantly. "This is the Doctor" he said upon answering. Wilf dutifully got up and handed him a paper and pencil. All the Doctor said was "Uh huh," and "Where?" he scribbled something on the page, hung up the phone, and was gone without a word. 

Rose looked to Wilf. "Does that happen often?"

Wilf's eyes were sad again. "Yes, it does my dear. More than I'd like. "

"What is he doing?"

"That I'll let him tell you himself. It may take some time. Suffice it to say he helps people. "

"He said that. He also showed me his Failure Room. What's up with that?"

"He showed you the room, did he? He must like you. That is also something that needs to come from him. It will, in time. If he took you there, he will tell you eventually."

Rose helped Wilf clean up then followed the old man to the outside detached garage. Inside it were a variety of old vehicles, fully restored and one sleek black SUV. 

He went over to the last vehicle, a truck. It was a 1980's model, its paint had long since faded. He motioned for her to get in. The upholstery was new though, and the inside was surprisingly in good shape. The thing that surprised her the most was how easily it sprung to life when Wilf put in the key. He grinned at her. "I could see it in your eyes, you thought this old thing would never run. One of the Doctor's passions is restoring older cars. He finished this one only months ago and lets me take it to town. Oh, I never asked. Can you drive a stick shift?" He indicated the shifter sticking up in front of the seats. Rose hadn't paid attention to it at first. 

"Um, I've driven a few of them, not well, but I think I can get it. I suppose I would have to get used to it. But I'm willing to learn."

"I'll give you lessons when we get back from town. This will be what you use while you are here. The nice SUV is for the Doctor and must be ready if he needs it. I could drive any of the other cars if I wanted, but I prefer this truck. You can have your pick but for functionality, this one is the best. "

Rose agreed. There was something about the bumpy ride and rattling of the truck that was comforting. Just as they were about to pull off the grounds, Rose heard the unmistakable sound of a helicopter. She stuck her head out the window and tried to locate it. It was landing in front of the house. 

Wilf chuckled. "I suppose I should have warned you. That happens quite a lot. It's just the Doctor going out. "

"How long is he usually gone for?"

"Usually it's 2 or 3 days, but it has been up to a month. Caring for him is not part of your duties, which is good, because he is completely unpredictable. "

Rose watched in silence as the helicopter took flight moments after it landed. It was gone in a flash. She wondered if the Doctor would ever tell her about what he did. Whatever it was, it was going to be quite a story.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? Posting early? Yup, I'm a giver. My plan is to post maybe twice a week. My racetrack life will be chilling out significantly after next week. At the very least you will get one a week. I didn't mention it, but this is a complete work, I'm just editing it. Maybe that's why I post giant chunks. Anyway thanks for the kudos and comments. They mean a lot to me.

They fell into a comfortable banter on the way into the town. Wilf explained that part of her employment agreement was that since they were so far out, food was included in her board. So essentially, she did not have to pay for anything. She asked if she was ever expected to cook for the Doctor, but no, he would leave a list on the counter if he needed anything, and normally fed himself. 

To that Rose was a little disheartened. He seemed like a nice, maybe a bit grumpy, if not interesting man, and she had thought that maybe they would be able to at least spend some time together. Not in a romantic sense, not at all. That ship had sailed. No, but it would be nice just to have someone around periodically to make sure she wasn't just talking to herself. Maybe she could have her mother up for a visit or something. One thing for sure, she was going to have to learn to entertain herself. Then again, there was much to do. At the moment she had found out that indeed she had the job, she decided to try to restore the house to its former glory. That would definitely supply a nice sense of accomplishment. 

While in town, Wilf introduced her the stores where they had accounts. The town was bigger than she had thought. It had a nice sized home improvement/hardware store, a big grocery store as well as a department store. Wilf explained that the town was a hub for all the surrounding areas and usually was quite busy. There were several restaurants too, a steak place, a diner and a sushi place. 

As they walked, many people came up to wish good luck to Wilf on his future journeys. Rose was surprised at just how many people knew him. 

"Wow, Wilf, you know everyone."

"Not everyone. I suppose I needed some human contact, and so I come to town a few times a week. When you do that for years, you meet people."

That statement was most evident when Wilf led Rose into the local library where a plump short woman bustled up to him, offering a hug and kiss. After the greeting, Wilf took the woman's hand. "Rose, this is Esther. She is the reason I decided to retire from working with the Doctor. She is retiring too, and we have a little house in London. "

Rose couldn't help but smile brilliantly at the couple. They were adorable, and she nearly died from the cuteness. She let them talk while perusing the stacks. For a little library it was well stocked. That would be nice to mix things up after starting on the Doctor's collection. She was also happy to see that they had a large DVD collection. Some of the stuff was even new. That would be nice too.

Wilf and Esther had gone somewhere to talk so Rose took the moment to step outside and call her mother. "Hi mum, I made it. "

"Oh Rose, I'm so glad you called. I was worried. Where exactly are you?"

"Mum, you know I can't tell you."

"Oh, come on sweetheart, I'm your mother, I need to know these things. What if I need you? I'm not getting any younger you know. "

"Mum, you know how you get. A few pints in, you may slip. I can't let that happen. He could hear it from anywhere. I can't take that risk. "

"Rose, nothing is more important to me than your safety. I have already told everyone you are in Paris and aren't coming home anytime soon. I won't tell anyone. Please, can you tell me?"

Rose huffed. "Fine, where are you?"

"I'm home, why?"

"Are any of the windows or the front door open?"

"Now you're getting paranoid."

"I can't be too careful that someone will overhear. "

"Here, I'll walk into the loo and shut the door. There, happy now?"

"Yes, thank you." Rose then carefully told her mother where she was but didn't give her the exact location of the house itself. The town would be close enough. Her mother didn't need to know more. It wasn't safe. 

"Now, Mum. Please do not do any internet searches on this place. Don't look up its stores or restaurants, nothing, do you hear me?"

"Rose, please. "

"No mum. I must leave no trace. Calling you is dangerous enough. But my name isn't associated with this number. But please, no searches, nothing on paper. Please?" she pleaded.

There was a pause. "OK, but I miss you so much. I haven't seen him around lately. Maybe it's safe. "

"It'll never be safe. I can't risk it. "

"I understand, but will you call?"

"Yes mum, I have to go, I love you."

"I love you too. "

Wilf and Esther had finished visiting and they emerged from the library to find her. Rose bid goodbye to Esther and went with Wilf as they finished their tasks. She was showed where to get gas, the feed store and where the doctor's offices were should she get sick. Lastly, he showed her where to collect the mail and any parcels that arrived, as they did not have delivery at the house. 

When they got back to the house, Wilf showed her the evening activities, which they had to perform in the rain, as a storm started just as they got home. The funny part was, as Wilf put on a rain slicker, he handed her one. Next to his more weathered one, was a brand new one for her. He smiled at her. "It's all yours dear. The Doctor insisted on getting a new one when he heard you were coming. Thank goodness for express shipping. I picked it up this morning."

By the time they sat down to dinner, Rose was way past tired. Everything hurt. It had been a very long day. Wilf set a steaming cup of tea in front of her, she took it and sighed, "Thank you."

He laughed. "Don't worry dear, it seems like a lot now, but it's just different muscles. You'll adapt quickly. If an old guy like me can do it, you can. "

"Oh, you're not old." Rose ventured. 

"I am, but I won't let it get me. I've still got a few years left on these old bones. I just need to retire."

"How were you able to retire? If you don't mind me asking. Were you able to save up?"

"Oh dear, it happens that the Doctor is very generous. You will have a full retirement package starting today. Plus, you have very few expenses. I have been able to put more than enough away to live comfortably. Esther too. I just had to wait until she was ready. I was ready years ago. "

"Wow, I've never thought about retirement. That's really nice of him."

"Well he figures this is not the easiest job. It's lonely a lot, and you can't be with your family much. I've never asked, but do you have family?"

Rose paused, finally deciding not to tell the whole story. "I have a mum. There's no one else. "

Wilf seemed to pick up on the fact that there was more to the story but didn't ask. "Well, you'll be safe here. And when he is around, the Doctor can show you more. Maybe you can go on trail rides. Once he gets to know you, that is."

"I get the impression that he isn't much of a talker. "

"Not at first, well not at all really, but he is a good man. You'll do well here. He’s kind. Also, I think he’ll appreciate some feminine company."

He didn’t elaborate and left Rose with questions that she didn’t know how to ask.   
OoOoOoOo 

Wilf stayed on for seven more days, teaching her all about the house. He even gave her stick shift driving lessons, even though they weren't going well. The truck was a finicky thing and it was taking a long time to learn how to finesse it. 

The Doctor flew back in five days after he had left, only to have the phone ring later that day. This time he left via his SUV. Rose had only caught a glance at him as he hurried past her. There was a hushed conversation with Wilf and she saw something red on his arm, like a bandaged wound, but Wilf covered it up and she didn't stop to stare. It occurred to her that the Doctor may be doing something dangerous but had no idea what that could be. 

When Wilf left, it was a little sad. He was such a wonderful man, so sweet and kind, Rose could have lived there forever with him. He had great stories, and she loved how his eyes watered when he told her something sentimental or he laughed too hard. He was everything she had ever wanted in a grandfather, something she never had had. 

He hugged her tightly when he left, promising to check back in from time to time. He would also write her if he thought of anything else that he had forgotten to tell her. But largely he left her to do as she pleased. 

The daily house chores were not that bad, and she found herself finishing them in rapid succession. In the middle of the day she had a big block of time to herself. The first thing she did was find a ladder in the garage and went to work removing the heavy draperies from the windows that covered most of them. With natural light, the place took on a new life. Still the electric lights that were around were abysmal, but that was something to work on. She also desperately wanted to paint. Mainly the kitchen was her focus for this. A little light paint on the walls would brighten it up tremendously. But she wasn't sure how far she was allowed to go. 

Outside, Rose had found the therapeutic value of gardening. Well, more like weed pulling and hacking away at the dead foliage that was everywhere. She cleared out the main planters, pulled down long since dead ivy, and even chopped down two dead trees. The whole idea was to replace them. Spring was coming, and it would be time soon to plant her outside garden. 

She even took time to start to rehabilitate the green houses, though those would take much work. By the end of her first week alone, she had filled the oversized trash bin by the garage. She would have to call the next time she was in town and have it emptied. Wilf said that they normally had it done every two or three weeks, but she could see that it would have to be more, at least for a little while. 

OoOoOo

The time came for Rose to go into town. It had been a while since she had gone with Wilf, and since she hadn't seen hide nor hair of the Doctor, she needed some human contact. She could also stand to talk to her mother. 

Rose went down to the garage, opened the door and headed to the truck. Next to it stood the Doctor's SUV. She hadn't even heard him come back and wondered when he had gotten there. Also, she was hit by a wave of embarrassment. The night before, when she thought she was alone, there had been karaoke night of sorts. Just her, loud music and singing. If he had heard that, she would be mortified. 

Trying to shake it off, she got in the truck and started it up, it was fine until she went to back up, instantly stalling it. She started it again, same thing. She tried letting the clutch out slowly, faster and any variety she could think of, but it kept stalling. She beat her fist on the steering wheel. "Arg!" 

There were three sharp taps on the side window and Rose yelped and whipped her head around. There stood the Doctor, wearing a goofy grin, that and a black eye. "May I help you?" he asked through the window glass.

Rose let out an exasperated sigh and rolled down the window. "I thought I had it. But this truck hates me."

"Nah, it's just sensitive. Lemme give it a try. There's a sweet spot for the clutch. Here, hop out and I'll show you. "

Rose opened the door and he stepped back. He walked around her, and Rose couldn't help but notice a slight limp in his step. He climbed in and motioned for her to sit in the passenger seat. 

Once she was settled, he started to put it in gear, "OK, I'll let out the clutch and see if I can ... there… did you feel it? It is a little catch. Here, I’ll do it again."

The first time he did it, Rose didn't feel anything, but the second time she did, just as he said. 

"Ok, now Rose switch with me again and I'll let you drive us in."

"Us?" she reflexively answered. 

He turned to look at her. "Well yeah, unless you have some sort of rendezvous there and don't want me around. I used to go with Wilf all the time, well at least occasionally."

Rose recovered quickly. "It's fine with me, I haven't talked to another human in days, and our horses aren't very good conversationalists. "

The Doctor laughed out loud as he climbed out of the cab. His laugh made her laugh. This was the first time they had had any sort of exchange since the dinner together with Wilf. It was funny, he was being friendly now, but he was certainly brusque at first. And when she had seen him in passing, he always looked deep in thought. But now he seemed to be easy to deal with. It occurred to her that he may just be one of those people that needed his space and would talk when he was ready. Kind of like a cat she once had. 

This time, with coaching, Rose was able to get the truck in gear. They both laughed throughout the trip, as her starts and stops were anything but smooth. But they didn't talk much, other than him giving her directions periodically. 

After one particularly bad lurch that nearly caused the truck to stall, Rose blew out a breath. "I'm sorry, I've just never mastered stick. If I ever borrowed someone’s car they were afraid I would strip the gears."

The Doctor looked at her with a raised eyebrow but didn’t say anything right away. He ran his hand over the dash. "Well, I know his is an older truck. It was fun to tinker on. But if that is not your thing, I'll try to get another car for you. One that is more suited to you."

"Oh, you don't have to, I'll just learn this one. Cars are expensive. I'll made do. It's a cool old truck."

The Doctor chuckled. "I can buy a car. I have the means. I would like to keep you in one piece if you don't mind. " She looked at him briefly, causing him to stammer. "I-I mean, it was hard to find a caregiver who wanted to come out this far. I would hate to lose you because the vehicle I supplied you made you drive off a cliff."

A heavy silence fell in the cab. There had been absolutely no flirting, none at all. And in that moment, Rose was truly confused if that was flirting, or just talk. Whatever it was, he was flustered. 

She had to say something. "Are you Bruce Wayne?"

"Huh?" he asked dumbly.

They were pulling into town and Rose pointed the truck to the grocery. "Are you Bruce Wayne? You live in an enormous manor, you have a mysterious job, you have money to waste on a vehicle for a worker, and you keep disappearing and returning with injuries. " She shook her head. "I'm pretty sure I'm working for Batman." 

This caused the Doctor to throw his head back and laugh out loud. "No, I'm not Bruce Wayne or Batman. I'm just a... a man. " He offered no further explanation as Rose pulled into a parking spot. 

They got out and looked around. All the stores were in close proximity and most people parked and walked between them. 

Rose faced him. "I need things from the grocery, but also a few things from the hardware store, like hooks for my bathroom. "

"Lead the way," he countered, "if I'm with you, I don't need to pay for it later."

"Oh, I was just going to get them. They’re just hooks."

"Our deal was that I pay for house stuff and food. If you’re doing things to make the house better, I need to get them. "

Rose smiled. There was no getting around it. "Can I talk about paint then? I want to paint the kitchen. "

He gave her an alarmed look. "What color?"

Rose looked him dead in the eye. "Hot pink with purple and orange hearts. Then purple glitter paint around the edges. Sounds fun, doesn't it?"

The Doctor balked. He really had just met her, how could he convey just how bad an idea this was without seeming harsh? But there was no way that was going to happen.

He opened his mouth to speak when Rose gave him a reprieve, by laughing. "I'm kidding, silly. I just wanted white or a pastel yellow. Just something to lessen the gloom."

The Doctor let out a breath. "Oh, thank the gods. I thought you were serious."

Rose had come around the side if the truck. She slapped his arm. " I was just messing with you. I'm not a 13-year-old girl. I just want to lighten it up, I don't want it too look like a teen magazine threw up in there."

The Doctor laughed too. "Let's see that we can find." He pointed to the hardware store and they went together. Rose noticed, too that he was definitely limping. After they purchased the paint, they settled on a creamed corn color, he left her to go to the pharmacy.   
OoOoO  
Rose put the paint in the truck and went after him. She needed some shampoo and some feminine things. She found him in the bandage aisle, contemplating a roll of tape versus a roll of self-adhering wrap. 

She snuck up behind him. "Go with the wrap, it’s easier on your skin."

He jumped, nearly catching her with his elbow. "Rose, you scared me. I was just..." He didn't finish.

"Careful there, Mr. Jumpy. Can I help you?"

"No." He put the tape back on the shelf, grabbed some gauze and turned for the register. 

Rose stood in the aisle, now thoroughly confused. He had been so nice just a few minutes ago, but he turned that off so suddenly. She shrugged and moved on, thinking that everyone is entitled to their own thoughts and didn't have to share. That was certainly her case and far be it for her to judge someone for the exact same thing.

Rose picked up what she needed and paid, not even looking to see if he was finished. Then she headed to the grocery. Like the other stores in town, it was quite big. It also sold things in bulk, which was nice. She was able to get a large quantity of toilet paper and paper towels and some frozen food as well as a big sack of rice and one of beans. On his tour of the house before she'd met the Doctor, Wilf had recommended keeping a large quantity of some things on hand should bad weather move in, making the roads impassable. It had happened on several occasions. 

Rose heaved the sack of rice into the oversized trolley and looked up into the puzzled gaze of the Doctor. "Planning on an extended Arctic excursion?" he asked casually. 

"You can never be too prepared. And Wilf told me that he has been stranded a few times, so I'm thinking ahead." She started pushing the now very heavy trolley down the aisle. 

"We have been blocked off from town a few times, he's right. But we just ate a horse and moved on," he said from behind her. 

Rose stopped in her tracks and spun to face him. "What?"

He chuckled and put up his hands in surrender. "I'm kidding. You’re probably right to have the rice and beans. Wilf used to also get salt and," he laughed, "biscuits. He loved biscuits and hated running out. He had a stockpile of Jammie Dodgers, which I was not sad about at all."

He moved towards her again and Rose could tell that he was trying to downplay his limp. But she wasn't going to ask about it anyway. She turned and resumed pushing the trolley. It took a little to get it going. 

"May I help?" he offered. 

"I got it. I have to pull, or push, my weight around here anyway. I never know when you'll be here."

She hadn't intended to sound gruff, it was just the truth. But beside her she heard a little huff, and nothing else. Had she hit a sore spot again? Working with him was quickly becoming a mine field. It was going to take time for her to figure out how not to set him off. But it's not like she hadn’t had temperamental bosses before. 

Rose maneuvered the trolley around the store and even gotten packages of Jammie Dodgers. When she put them in the basket, he seemed to brighten a little. Lastly, she came to the meat section. She stopped in front of the steaks. 

"Do you anticipate being home tonight?" she asked.

"Why? Are you cooking?"

"I can cook. I thought it would be fun to maybe do steaks, some potatoes and maybe some green beans. I might even throw together a salad. "

"Is there an occasion?"

"Well, um, actually no, but I figured if you were home, we could eat together."

He lifted an eyebrow at her. 

"Well I can do something different if-" she anxiously started.

"No, that would be good. Wilf and I ate together occasionally when I was there. When I was busy he just left me a plate. I usually cooked for myself though. I guess I just have to get used to your approach. "

"I'm not Wilf."

This time he smiled. "I know that. I also know I'm not all that good at social graces. So yes, I'd love to have dinner. But you are under no obligation to cook for me. Is that better?"

"Yes, I'll just have to train you to understand me. "

He laughed. "Old dog, new tricks."

"Not that old," she said, dropping a package of steaks into the trolley and pushing it away. 

He stood there for a moment, shaking his head, then followed. 

The Doctor paid for all the food and supplies then helped load the truck. Rose went for the driver's seat before he was able to. 

"I'm driving back. I need to get the hang of it."

He nodded and climbed into the passenger seat. When they were settled, he held out something to her. It was a credit card. "Here, take this. I'll cover everything you need, within reason. I added your name to the account yesterday. You'll have your own card next week."

"Within reason, huh? So, no caviar parties?"

"It depends on the amount of caviar, " he answered.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is my next offering. As per usual, it's a pretty big chapter. I'm hoping you all like the bigger chapters with fewer overall. This one comes to 14 chapters and about 46,000 words, I'm sure that will go up when I edit. Here we finally get Rose's backstory but more questions about the Doctor's. I'm not sure I will get to post twice this week, most likely once, but perhaps more if the Gods are smiling.

The ride back was much better now that Rose got used to the truck. The Doctor wasn't talking much so Rose just drove, memorizing the route but it made for a quiet ride. Silences with him weren't particularly awkward. She just figured him for a man of few words. 

Then unpacked the truck when then got there just as it was starting to rain. Rose put everything away then donned her slicker and went about the evening duties. The Doctor had gone to his room once they had brought everything in. 

The storm was building so Rose worked quickly. She was in the barn shoveling hay when she heard a noise behind her. She turned to find the Doctor with his back to her. He was moving feed for the goats and chickens. Together they made quick work of the chores, and soon were back in side, shaking off the rain and cold. 

"Thanks, " Rose said, "but just so you know, I can do all the chores myself. I don't want you to feel obligated to help just because you're here.”

"I don't, but I like the chores. I hatched the chickens from eggs and had the goats since they were born too. And of course, the horses. I wouldn't keep them if I minded taking care of them. " He hung up his jacket on a hook next to hers, where Wilf's once was. Rose headed to the kitchen to start the meal and the Doctor went to start a fire in the fireplace. 

She half expected him to disappear again, but soon found him in the kitchen too. He made a rub for the meat and took it over to this indoor grill. Rose hadn't used that appliance yet. He flicked on the stove hood and started the grill, then looked back at her.

"What?"

Rose smiled, " I was just watching. I hadn't used that yet."

"It's critical if you like barbecue and hate the English rain."

"Noted," she said, turning back to her salad. 

Dinner was casual, he turned on music and they both sat by the fire. Rose had picked up quickly that not only was he not a talker, but he also was not fond of talking about himself. So, the conversation mostly revolved around her. How she grew up in the estates and some stories about her childhood, as well as a few about her escapades in house sitting. Everything from escaped rabbits to dogs having puppies. 

When the meal was finished, he sat back on the couch and eyed her. Rose, not one to be intimidated, eyed him right back. He stretched out, crossing his legs in front of him. "So, Rose, you've told me about your childhood, your various jobs and stuff, but I have to know. What brought you here? More specifically, what are you running from that makes you take jobs that allow you to be basically off the grid? Nothing you've had requires any sort of paper trail. Is there a reason for that?"

Rose put down the water she was drinking grateful that she didn’t choke on it. She knew he would get there eventually. Some got there more quickly than others. How should she start? It was never easy. And the response that was given to her story was never what she would like. She wanted it to be a nonissue, but it rarely was. Someone always wanted to help, or to give advice. No, it was easier not to tell. She could make something up, she had done that before, but it was ultimately harder to keep up a lie. 

How could she start? Maybe with, “Well I'm here because my ex-husband is hunting me. If he finds me, he will most likely kill me?” She could only imagine the Doctor's response. He would be one of the ones that wanted to do something. But she just wanted to do nothing. Being away from the city, living away from prying eyes, made her able to just be. She wasn't afraid to go out. Little noises didn't make her jump and she finally was able to lose the habit of constantly checking to see if her phone was on her and that it had a charge. There were no tethers and it was good. She had healed so much in recent years and this job allowed for that. Had he not been out there, she would be fine. But he was. 

From across the couch, blue eyes stared at her waiting for a response. She needed to say something. But what? Did he need the full story? 

Rose drew a long, slow breath. "OK-" they both jumped as the phone rang. The Doctor's phone, the one that was off limits to her. 

He sprang to his feet and answered the one that hung on the wall behind them. "This is the Doctor," he started, "Yes, OK, thanks." That was it. He hung up, turned to her, giving her a look she couldn’t decipher, and said, "I gotta go." And with that, he as off. 

OoOoOo  
In the following days, the rain kept up. And, since she had no internet or contact with the outside world, Rose just kept up with her chores. Once in a break in the weather she had a chance to saddle up and ride one of the more docile horses, Buttercup, for a ride around the grounds. Besides being soggy, there wasn't any real damage. The creek in the woods was running strongly, but beyond that, it was just wet. 

Being alone in the giant house, thought daunting at first, became liberating for Rose. For the first time in more than a year, she felt free. Jimmy would never find her out here. Caution stayed though, replacing the paranoia of a year ago. That would stay forever, unless he was dead. 

After morning chores on the third day, Rose decided to get a better lay of the land, so to speak. Since her initial tour with the Doctor she hadn't had much time to explore. Without him there she felt a little more comfortable poking around. Not like she would get into his room of personal stuff, but she still hadn't thoroughly gone through the library. Then there was the matter of the "Failure Room" as he called it. That room was intriguing to Rose. Why would someone have mementos of failures on hand? Who did that?

She went upstairs to the library, thinking maybe of starting a new book, but her eyes fell on the door to the Failure Room. Maybe she would start there. 

Looking around for no good reason, she opened the door and flicked on the light. Without the Doctor there, the room looked absolutely huge. The first thing she walked by was the rhinoceros. She took a moment to look at it. This time, unlike the first time she saw it, she laid a hand on its horn, touching the tip and realizing that it was actually quite sharp. With its head down it was dangerous, if someone stumbled, they could fall on it. Unconsciously she stepped away from it, wondering at the same time why the Doctor would have something that dangerous. But then again, he had said it was his room. 

She wandered around touching nothing but looking closely. The assortment was eclectic to say the least. There were things that looked tribal and old next to something more modern. There was a broken and burned out laptop, a pilot's helmet that was cracked, soiled gloves that looked as if they had some dried blood on them, as well as pictures and books. 

One picture in particular stood out. It was alone on a lighted shelf and nicely mounted in the frame. In it was a pretty brown-haired lady and a young blonde girl. The girl looked to be about 5 or 6 years old. They were backed by bright flowers in a garden somewhere and both grinning hugely. On closer inspection, Rose recognized the wall that the flowers only partially covered. It was there, at the house. She had cleared some dead plants off that wall only days before. She wondered who these two were and why they were in the "Failure Room". How could they be a failure, they looked so happy? She wanted to ask, but then again, when someone had a room of this nature, she suspected that they wouldn't be very excited to share the information. 

She finished her survey of the room, carefully avoiding the rhino and its horn. The last thing she needed was for the Doctor to come home and find her impaled on one of his "failures".  
OoOoOo

Later that evening, Rose had snuggled in by the fire with her book. She had made a mental note though, to ask the Doctor for a television and a DVD player. Books were great, but she needed to hear and see some things. 

That night would have not been a good one for movies though, the power flicked on and off several times and Rose was grateful for the fire. The storm was getting worse and Rose soon became anxious at the creaks and groans around her. She was especially nervous about the barn. It was built stoutly, but the animals had been agitated all week and some of the doors and latches were getting worn. She had made a note to look at the hardware store on her next visit to town, but as of now she wasn't sure if that would be any time soon. 

As she sat there, trying to concentrate on her reading, she unconsciously listened. Something was wrong. She listened more, but what was she hearing? A noise had changed. Now there was a loud bang from outside and Rose was up on her feet in a second. 

She hastily pulled on her wellies as well as her slicker and dashed outside. The bite of the wind against her cheeks stopped her, but only momentarily. Rain was coming down in sheets and the wind buffeted her every step. Leaves and small branches hit her as she started towards the barn. In the distance she could see the doors had come open and were slamming against the barn itself. From inside, even through the wind and the rain she could hear the screams of the animals. 

She continued trudging on, the mud sticking to her boots, weighing her down step by step, the wind tossing her like a rag doll. It didn't help that the power had flicked off again. She had a torch in her pocket, but in the downpour it would have been useless. Plus, she had forgotten her gloves and was quickly losing feeling in her fingers. 

With the barn doors getting closer, Rose reached out, only to have the door ripped from her hand, smacking her along the right side of the head. Her cry of pain was unheard above the howling of the storm. 

The blow knocked her to her knees, and all she could do was stagger up, and force herself to take the few steps into the barn. Inside was chaos, or at least it sounded of it. The animals were terrified. Goats were creating the biggest ruckus, bleating loudly and pounding against the door to their enclosure. But they were secure, and Rose passed them. Then something out of place caught her eye. One of the horse enclosures was open. Not just open but the door was demolished, as it had been kicked open. She did a quick headcount. It was Midnight, the Doctor's own horse. He had kicked his way out and was nowhere to be seen. 

She looked to Buttercup, the horse the was most familiar with, but could tell that that horse was completely freaked out, riding her out to find Midnight was not going to happen, so she ran back out into the storm. Between the howls of the wind Rose heard a whinny. Alongside the house, the scared horse had sought refuge. He was pacing and shaking, bucking his head up and down. 

Despite the monumental task in front of her, a wave of relief washed over Rose. She ran back and got a bridal off the wall of tack and went back out to get Midnight. She attached a lead to it too, hoping to be able to pull the horse back into the stables. 

Something warm trickled into Rose's eyes, and she wiped it away only to look down and see that her hand was covered in blood. The door must have cut her when she hit it. "DAMN!" she shouted to no one in particular. She wiped it away in frustration. It would have to wait. 

Outside again, she carefully approached Midnight, who eyed her frantically. But as she walked up, she cooed at him, saying his name and hoping to all available Gods that he wouldn't hurt her. He backed away slightly, but she put out a hand to him and he moved towards it. Now at his side, Rose stroked his neck and spoke to him. He was still very jittery and it took three attempts before she could get the bridal on. 

The task was hard enough, given the mental state of the horse, but she was working with only one eye. Swelling had set in and coupled with the bleeding from above, she couldn't see out it at all. 

With some final neck and nose rubs, Rose started to lead Midnight back to the barn. Once he got started, it was easier, then not so much. The storm was getting worse. Just as Rose thought that the winds couldn't get any worse, they did. She was buffeted around, and fell, or nearly fell at least six times. Midnight was not happy either. He bucked and kicked continually, but they did make progress. 

When the barn was close, like ten feet away, there was a particularly close lightning strike, causing Midnight to rear up violently, ripping the rope from her hands and sending her flying. She landed painfully on her knees in the mud, one of her knees striking something hard in the sludge, pain exploding and making her cry out. 

Gingerly she staggered to her feet looking around for Midnight. As she got her footing and took a step, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. Fear invaded every nerve of her body, "No, not now" she thought, whipping around her hand up like she was either going to strike or to ward of a strike. 

But instead of the squinty eyes and sneer of Jimmy, Rose's eyes met bright blue ones. The Doctor stood behind her with a worried expression. "It's me!" he yelled, "it's just me, don't be frightened!"

"It's Midnight!" she yelled back over the storm. He nodded and put his fingers to his lips, letting out an ear-piercing whistle. 

Sure enough, the horse returned, but stayed out of reach, still wild eyed. The Doctor approached, much like she had, taking him by the bridal and leading him to the barn. With his other hand he grabbed the back of Rose's slicker, helping her until she could step confidently, then he let go. 

Inside the barn the Doctor took Midnight to another enclosure next to his damaged one, using a torch while Rose went about securing the doors. She pulled on the handles, having some difficulty against the wind and her hands were slick with blood from being stripped by the rope. 

Before she knew it, strong hands added just enough pull to get the doors closed and locked. The sudden volume decrease in the now closed barn was stunning. She turned to him. "Thank you. I almost had it though."

His torch flicked in her direction. "Oh, I know, you just needed a little help. I didn't doubt you at all." He was wearing a smirk that fell when his eyes landed on her face. "Oh Rose, what did you do to yourself?" He lifted his hand to touch above her eye and she winced. 

"Is it bad?" she asked.

"Yeah, but nothing a few steri-strips can't fix. I mean, we can take you for sutures if you want, but I'm thinking we are stuck in her for a while. Here let me-" He took out a cotton handkerchief and dabbed her wound, then applied pressure, she hissed but he didn't let up. 

"Here, hold this on there," he said, and Rose took it. While she did, he examined her hands one at a time where the rope had been pulled out. It stung. "This just looks bad, but I think it's not deep. We'll just clean it when we can."

Next, he knelt down, and she felt his hands on her knee. She hadn't remembered until just then that she had hurt it when she fell. "This looks OK too. It tore your pants, but it’s just a scratch. Boy, you sure got tossed around though."

"Yeah," was all she could muster. Other than talking to her, he hadn't been that attentive to her. Now it was strange to have his hands on her. 

Rose looked around as the Doctor struck a match and started a propane lamp. When it was lit, he hung it on a hook. The light is cast was low, but enough to at least see each other well. "I hate to use lamps like this in the barn, but I guess in an emergency it's OK" he shrugged. “It’ll save the torch batteries”. 

Rose shivered. Now as the fear and excitement were wearing off, she realized just how cold she was. 

The Doctor looked her over. "You look like you're freezing. "

She unsuccessfully tried to suppress another shiver. "Yeah."

"Here." He was wearing a slicker much like hers. He took it off and motioned for her to put his over hers. Hers had kept her dry enough, at least her torso, but her legs and head were soaked. The hood hadn't been much help in the wind. 

"No, I'm ok, you need yours to keep warm too. I'll warm up. Maybe we should just try to make it back inside."

The Doctor listened a bit and then went to look out one of the dirty windows. "I don't think so. It hasn't let up. We could get hit by debris. Stuff is flying around like crazy out there. On top of that, it's still raining buckets. This barn is sound though. We'll be safe here. I wouldn’t risk running for it." As if to punctuate his sentence there was a clap of thunder that made Rose and all the animals jump. "See what I mean?" he asked loudly over the various voices of frightened animals. 

He was right. Rose knew it. She couldn't risk going out and getting hit by a flying branch or something. She turned in a circle. "So, what do we do now?"

"We try to stay warm. "

"That's easier said than done."

The Doctor went to a nearby hay bail and spread a horse blanket on it. He sat down and patted his hand beside him. "At least we can sit." 

Rose eyed him. Logic stated that sitting would allow her to rest, and sitting next to someone would be warmer, but even though they had spent time together, this was bound to be awkward.   
In the low light she surveyed him. This was the first time she had seen him really since he had joined her. His black eye had faded somewhat, and he had a few new cuts on him that looked a few days old, as well as the remnants of a split lip. But his eyes were soft, and he wore a warm smile. That, and she was freezing made her seriously consider sitting. 

He looked at her expectantly. "I won't bite."

Still holding his handkerchief to her head, she sat.

"See? No biting," he laughed. Rose slugged him in the arm. "OW! Sure, hit the guy who's going to keep you from hypothermia. Wow you’re cold. Take off your slicker and put it over your legs. Then get closer to me and I'll use mine to drape over both of us."

Rose did as she was told, but soon found that the closeness required for his jacket to cover them both was VERY close. In order to make it work she had to rest her head on his shoulder and turn her body towards him. It was warm, yes, but also too close for employer and employee to be. It was even too close for most friends to be. 

Next, she felt his hand on hers, lifting off the handkerchief. "Oh good, it stopped, " he said, taking back possession of it.

"Ooh, it's all bloody. Let me take that and wash it," she said.

"Nah, I'll save it for your next adventure." He laughed, the rumble in his chest loud under her. "You can get closer, Rose. I swear I won't try anything. You'd be warmer." Hesitantly, she slid her hand onto his leg. Her head moved also, now resting just below his collarbone as he leaned on the wall. His arm came up to wrap around her body, resting around her waist. 

Within minutes she was much warmer. The Doctor was like a space heater. They listened to the storm outside and the creaking of the barn, but Rose felt safe. The Doctor projected security. 

They sat in silence for a long time. After a while the Doctor spoke. It was low and calm, and even though it was unexpected, it didn't startle her. "Rose, why are you here?"

"You mean here in the barn, or here working for you?"

"Working for me."

"I needed a job, and saw Wilf's ad. It's pretty simple. "

"Why here, away from London, away from your family?"

"I don't have much family, it's just me and mum. "

"But why move away from her?"

"I-I needed a change," she replied softly.

"Or to get away?"

She didn't answer.

"I saw how you reacted when I surprised you out there. I put my hand on you because I didn't think you could hear me. But your reaction was... Who are you hiding from Rose?"

Again, Rose didn't answer. She started to shift away from him, but his arm around her remained snug. "I don't want to talk about it," she managed. 

"No one ever does." He paused. "You know that you're safe here, right?" 

"Yeah. I do feel safe here. But I never know."

He tried again. "Who is it?"

Rose took another few moments, breathing slowly. "He's my ex-husband, Jimmy." 

"Did he hurt you?"

"Yes." She offered no further explanation.

"Did the authorities know?"

"Yes, he went away for a bit, but now he's out. He's been out. "

"Does he look for you?"

"Yes." Now she took a long shaky breath and as she did, she felt the Doctor's arm bring her closer. It didn't feel weird, just protective. "He has found me twice. That's why I take house and pet sitting jobs. I'm never in the same house long. I have no permanent address and am paid cash usually. Also I don't have a bank account or cards or anything. Even my phone is registered to a friend of my mum's. I only use it sparingly though. My mum made me get it. Otherwise I may not ever talk to her. Jimmy is from the same estate I am. If I go there, he could be there. He is always looking, and he has many friends and family. There are too many eyes on me."

The Doctor took a long breath. "So, you hide."

"Yes."

"It's not fair."

"No, it isn't. But I'm not willing to put my life or that of my mum in danger."

"But hiding is not a life. "

"I agree, but it's all I have. I was hoping that up here I would be safe."

"You are, I told you. "

"I know, but you never know. A slip could happen, anything really. He was so mad at me for testifying against him, he said, right in front of the courtroom, in front of everyone, that when he was out he’d come find me.”

"Yet you sound so calm. How are you OK with all this?”

“My therapist was surprised with my resilience. I know he was the problem and none of this was my fault. I had the advantage of knowing just how screwed up Jimmy and his family were. I learned very quickly. The tipping point between him being easily angered and abusive was when his brother got out of jail and introduced him to heroin. Then he began to hit, steal and do all those things that are classically abusive. He was alright, but with a temper early on, but our relationship moved very fast. As soon as I figured it out, I started to get out. I fought back. He attacked me in bed one night. My neighbor broke down the door to get to me, and Jimmy went to jail. He got sent away for years, especially since they found heroin on him and enough to sell in his car. That’s why he’s looking for me. He says I ruined his life. He’s looking for revenge. He can’t get a job now, no one wants him. His brother also died shortly after he went away. He died of an overdose. He blames me for that too. I know all this because he wrote me letters. The last of which said that he would kill me when he saw me, it was confirmation on what he said in the courtroom. He must have sent it just barely before his release. When I got it, he was out. So, when I heard he was free, I disappeared. He was supposed to check in with a parole officer but never did, and no one’s seen him since. So, I keep moving.” 

“Has he ever found you?”

“Twice, but the first time he showed up right after I left a job, and the second time the neighbors saw him skulking around. He left when the cops showed up. Since then I’ve been better at covering my tracks.”

The Doctor sighed, and she could feel his chin drop to rest on her head. "Nothing will happen to you here. I promise." The Doctor pulled his arm a little tighter around her as if to show her.

"Thanks, I feel safe here, " she replied. He couldn't tell by the sound of her voice if she meant it or not. 

Silence fell then, both of them lost in thought. Rose was comfortable snuggled up with him and soon the ache of the chill went away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! More is on the way soon.

Rose felt movement next to her. She was stiff, not in the best position. "Rose? Wake up."

As she moved back into consciousness she started to recall. Then she shot to a sitting position. "OH! Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep!" She uncovered herself and handed him his slicker.

He laughed. "No problem, really. You had quite a time out there. But the storm has lessened. I think we can make a run for the house now. Then we can come back in the morning check it out at first light.” 

Rose ran fingers through her hair, having some difficulty shaking off sleep. "Yeah, sounds good."

She took her jacket off her legs and donned it, he did the same. After he checked on the horses, he snuffed out the lantern. He opened the barn door and poked his head out. Power was back on at the house and he could see his way. "C'mon Rose, we can go." He held out a hand to her, which she took. Then he stepped outside, fastened the door shut and fixed her with a mischievous smile. 

"Run!" he said, pulling her along. The rain was still coming down, but not as hard. Their feet squished in the mud, but they made it. Now inside, all Rose wanted to do was go to bed, but she stopped her. 

"Come with me, let me fix your head."

He led her to the couch in the living room, then came back with a first aid kit. He cleaned her head wound carefully, then attached steri-strips to close it. She winced periodically from the pain, but it wasn't bad. 

"There, all better. It'll heal well. It may not even scar."

"Thank you, Doctor. But I would have been fine. I don’t want to be a bother."

"You’re not a bother, not even a little. I hope you feel safe here. You don't have to run anymore."

Rose didn't know how to answer that. Just what was he saying? Running was ingrained now. She would always have the urge, no matter how secure she felt. He had found her before, he could find her again, and running from him made it into her psyche. Just because he said he could keep her safe didn't mean he could, but it was a nice sentiment. 

"Thank you'" she said, standing, "I'm going to get a few hours’ sleep, I'll see you in the morning."

As she left, didn't see the look on the Doctor's face, somewhere between sympathy and hurt. 

OoOoOo

Several hours later, Rose awoke. She wasn't sure what woke her, but after laying there for minute she heard it. It was a cracking or chopping sound. She went to the window. The storm had cleared mostly, leaving overcast grey skies. Near the barn was the Doctor, dragging fallen branches into a pile. He also had an axe, swinging it easily to break up the pieces. Rose wondered if he had slept at all, looking at the size of the pile, it wasn't likely. 

She got dressed, careful about her head and knee, and ambled down to the kitchen. Her head still hurt, and she could tell her knees were bruised, but it wasn’t bad. Overnight her hands had just turned into a series of abrasions, but no longer looked angry. Shortly thereafter, she had whipped up egg and potatoes for burritos. They hadn't had tortillas at the store, so she folded them into some flatbread, wrapping each in a paper towel and heading outside. 

The Doctor looked up as she approached, giving her a smile. "Feeling better?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks for fixing me up!"

"Anytime, I'm sure you'd do the same for me, given the chance," he looked to what she was carrying. 

"You want breakfast?" she asked. 

They settled in the barn since it was warmer. He loved his food and complimented her. He didn't have much to say until he put the last bit in his mouth. "Well from what I can tell, our damage is mostly downed trees. The door to the barn needs a little shoring up though, fancy a trip to town? "

"Sure."

Together they climbed into his SUV, which was much newer and nicer than the truck. But honestly, she liked the old truck. it had personality. It also reminded her of Wilf. 

The roads into town were bad, but not horrible. Save having to get around a few downed trees they made it fine. They did see plenty of damage though, to other homes and fields. The stream, usually pretty calm was now a raging torrent. She was nervous about how it would affect the bridge that they would cross, but found that though it spread out, the water did not crest the top of the bridge. 

The Doctor didn't talk on the way in other than to point things out. Rose was becoming used to his quiet, knowing that he would talk when he needed. He brought a sense of calm with him that made her feel safe. She hadn't intended to tell him about Jimmy, but somehow felt better now that he knew, not that she wanted him to do anything about it. Jimmy was her problem, not his. 

The damage from the storm was apparent in town too. More trees were down, one laying across the entrance to the pharmacy. Crews were already working to remove it. 

After parking, they headed to the hardware store. While he was perusing things to fix the barn door, Rose wandered. He soon found herself in the home improvement section. Lights and ceiling fans hung all around, but Rose’s eyes fell on a set of stainless-steel track lighting. It wasn't the usual kind, it was a swerved line with four lights attached. It would have looked great in the kitchen, bringing much needed light. She stood there admiring it until she heard a voice over her shoulder. 

"Like that, do you?" the Doctor asked. 

Rose turned to him. "It's nice, isn't it? Something like that would look great in our kitchen, don't you think?"

He gave her an odd look before nodding. "Yeah I guess so. Why don't you go to the grocery and get some things for dinner, I'll meet you back at the car."

Rose nodded. She was half way to the grocery before it dawned on her what she has said. She had said "our kitchen." Now she blanched. There was no "our" in the equation. It was his house, she just worked there. She wondered if his expression was because of her word choice. Suddenly she felt very self-conscious. Did he see her as too forward? She hadn't intended on saying it that way, it just slipped out like that. She knew it was not her home. 

Trying but failing to shake off the embarrassment, Rose went about shopping. On that day she picked chicken to cook as well as wild rice and vegetables. He hadn't joined her, so, as she was looking at the fresh fruit, she took a moment to call her mum. 

"Hi mum! How are you?"

There was noise behind her mother like she was out. "The better question is, how are you?" she countered. "I heard on the news that you all had quite a storm up your way."

"Mom, where are you?"

"I'm at the grocery." Then she seemed to pick up on why Rose asked. "No one is around me."

"Mum please don't say anything like that out loud. Now someone could watch the news and see where there were storms."

"You worry too much, I said no one is around. But is everything OK there?"

Rose sighed. "Yes mum, it was crazy for a little while, but the Doctor, my boss, came home and helped me." She purposely left out the parts about getting hit in the head and staying warm in the barn with him. 

"Your boss is named "the Doctor'? That's a bit posh isn't it?"

"Geez Mum, stop saying that stuff out loud! Listen, I have to go. "

"Ok, but no one is around me! I love you sweetheart." 

"I love you too, Mum." She rang off. 

In London, Jackie slid her phone into the pocket of her track suit, shaking her head. What she didn't see was someone, a woman, on the other side of the bread rack, furiously typing into her phone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another step for both of them today, but more questions.

Rose finished the shopping and pushed the trolley out to the car as the Doctor was just shutting the boot. "Put the groceries in the back seat," he said. 

Rose loaded them up and got into the passenger seat with a huff. 

He looked over from the driver's seat, an eyebrow raised. "And what has you all upset?"

Rose wiped her face. "My mum, she just doesn't get that me being here is a secret. In the course of a minute-long conversation, she asked me how the weather was here because she heard we had a storm and repeated your name out loud. She’s impossible. "

"And loves you very much, and I'm sure misses you like crazy."

"No doubt, but she also picked up the pieces after Jimmy was arrested. Not only was I broken, but my spirit was too. She helped me get back on my feet. She was the one who got me to therapy. I know I got better fast, but she started the process. I'm grateful for that, but she still doesn't understand how important it is not to say anything. "

"But you're safe with me, here."

"I know."

The Doctor didn't offer any more but pulled out of the car park and steered back to the house. 

When they were back, Rose unpacked the groceries and made lunch and the Doctor unloaded his purchases. She didn't see all that he bought, but it seemed sizable. When he was done, he came in and helped make lunch, which was eaten in companionable silence. 

They both worked the afternoon away, though the night before was beginning to wear on Rose. He worked alongside her mostly but had gone in for about a half hour while she fed the animals. Of course, he didn't look affected by the lack of sleep at all, something Rose poked fun at. When she stopped to go cook dinner, she almost had to drag herself back into the house. 

When he suggested they watch a movie with dinner, Rose just looked at him raising an eyebrow. With a laugh, he led her to the living room, where he had mounted a flat screen TV hooked to a DVD player. 

"Wow you're sneaky," she remarked. 

"Oh, Rose Tyler, you'll find I'm full of surprises," he beamed. 

Dinner was easy and casual. The Doctor had somehow acquired a copy of "Raiders of the Lost Arc" for them to watch. He and Rose settled on the sofa next to each other to watch. Then, when she went to get up to go do the dishes, he paused the movie and went to help. 

With the kitchen clean, they settled back into the movie. Rose could feel her eyes sagging though. It was only about eight, not late at all, but the day had been very long. She didn't even notice when her eyes fluttered shut. 

She was awoken by a deep chuckle. As her mind slowly came back to reality, she felt an arm draped over her shoulder. She was warm and comfortable, but then realized where she was and were the chuckle came from. She sat up quickly, mumbling, "I'm sorry." She had somehow fallen asleep on the Doctor… again. 

"It's no problem, Rose. I just laughed because it occurred to me that you have been making a habit of falling asleep on me, not that that is a bad thing."

Rose took him in, he was relaxed on the couch, his arm now along the back. He looked casual and comfortable. He wore a slight smile. His lack of embarrassment allowed her to feel better. If she had to say anything, it was that he looked unbothered by her closeness, and she honestly had no idea what to think about that. Compared to the time she had been there, they had spent precious little time with each other. He had been gone most of it. But when he was there, he was very attentive to her, even more so lately. 

The Doctor broke her from her reverie. "Are you just going to stare at me or do you want to finish the movie?"

Rose blinked, then turned to the screen, glad that he could not see the blush that had lit her cheeks. It was almost over. She sat back, this time not touching him, save his arm that had moved to the couch behind her. Ten minutes later the final credits rolled, and the Doctor stood to take out the DVD. Rose stood a second later.

"Well thanks for the movie, and being a pillow," she offered.

"Headed to bed, are you?" he asked, his back to her.

"Yeah, it's been a long one, I'm knackered."

"OK, goodnight," he said, turning slightly to her, then back to the DVD case he was holding. 

Rose watched him for a second then turned for the stairs. What had just happened? She honestly had no idea. Had she missed something? He looked like he might be embarrassed, or maybe uncomfortable there just before she left. But then again, he looked almost like he hadn't wanted her to get off him only minutes before. 

He was attractive. Tall, lean, strong features that added only to his wonderful smile. She had only seen it a few times, but the way his eyes shone when he did smile was something special. Thinking back, when she saw it, she instantly wanted more. But this was silly. He was her boss. He was mysterious, had some sort of job he didn't talk about and was whisked away at any moment. He had a past he wasn't filling her in on either. He had this giant house and land, but had he ever shared it with anyone? It looked as if it had been grand before but had fallen into darkness with time. 

She certainly was not on the market for a relationship. Being with Jimmy had almost killed her, quite literally. But thoughts of the Doctor crept in none the less. He was an enigma, she'd give him that. But had she seen what she thought she had? Was he interested? No, maybe it was an illusion. He was just reacting. He had needed to keep her warm the night before, and she had clearly leaned towards him in her sleep. She distinctly remembered doing that before with Jimmy and even her mother on occasion. That's it, it was nothing more than him being nice and not waking her. 

With that matter settled, Rose climbed into bed. 

OoOoo 

In the morning, Rose got up early as usual. She was still sore but not terribly so. Her knee was healing nicely as was her head wound. She got into a pair of jeans and a favorite hoodie and headed down to start the morning chores. She made it as far as the kitchen when she stopped in her tracks.

Bright light filled the room, but there was music too, on the counter a cassette boom box played Johnny Cash. The Doctor was up on a step stool adjusting a light on the very same track lighting that Rose had seen at the hardware store. He had installed it overnight. 

He beamed down at her. "Do you like it?"

"Are you kidding me? It's great. Were you up all night doing it?"

He hopped down. "Nah, I slept a little. Not a great sleeper, me, unlike you."

Rose blushed. "Yeah, still sorry about that."

"Don't be. You kind of sank onto me. It's not like you attacked." He was smiling warmly. 

Rose smiled back, then spun around. "Wow it looks fantastic in here. When did you get the lights?"

"I got them when I sent you for groceries. You looked like you liked them so much, I figured we needed them. "

"We?"

"Well you're the one that said 'our kitchen' yesterday. " Rose cringed and he continued. "But I got to thinking. You have to be here even when I go swaning off. And you've been doing so much to make it nice around here, I thought I should contribute. "

Rose suddenly lost the ability to control the redness that was running rampant on her cheeks. Instead she started for the fridge. "Coffee? "she asked over her shoulder.

"Yeah," he answered a little breathy, like he had been expecting something more and didn't want to talk too loudly to chase it away. 

OoOoO

That day Rose and the Doctor spent together, though not intentionally. There was just a lot of more cleanup to do. They had lunch together then Rose stayed back to put a stew in the crock pot. When she met him again outside, he had two horses saddled up, his horse Midnight, and Buttercup for her. 

Rose looked at him quizzically. 

He smiled. "Fancy a ride? I'd like to check the rest of the property and I thought you might want to join me." He was next to Buttercup and held out a hand to her as if to help her up. 

"Of course," she answered, but then stepped around him, grabbed the saddle horn, put her left leg in the stirrup and swung herself deftly into the seat. To this he let out a bark of a laugh and climbed up on Midnight. 

They headed out on a gallop that quickly turned into a race. When they got to the tree line, they slowed and took the trail. There wasn't a lot of conversation, other than him explaining things about the land and its borders. But their relative silence was companionable. When she was with him, she didn't feel the need to talk. It was just OK to be. 

One thing Rose did notice, was that the Doctor was getting closer to her. Not by means of familiarity, but by distance. He frequently did his work right next to her or within a few feet. He did little things like tap her on the shoulder to get her attention or come up behind her to help steady her if she was carrying something heavy. Not once did he try to take anything away from her but let her do her chores. Rose wouldn't have tolerated it anyway. These were the things she did every day and having him there wasn't going to change anything. But she found she liked working with him. They had a similar sense of humor too. 

Once when she went to lift a pitchfork of hay, about ten mice ran out, startling her, and she yelled out, "Holy shit!". He was at her side not even a second later, then saw what happened and laughed. She threw the hay at him, which he dodged and laughed more. 

When dinner time came, Rose went in to bake some frozen rolls and he joined her a little later. 

Again, they put in a movie, the second Indiana Jones movie, and sat on the couch. She was mildly amused to see that he sat after her, but didn't occupy the end of the couch, rather brought over television trays that she didn't know existed and sat inches from her. They talked on and off throughout the movie, him remarking on her superior stew making skills and just talking about the day. 

With all the running Rose had done in the past few months, having time to sit and enjoy a meal and good conversation was wondrous. She still knew little about him, but he was starting to give little bits and pieces like, "When I was in school I..." or "My mum used to say..."

When they finished the meal, again he stopped the movie to help clean up. Then when they came back, he offered up a blanket to put over the both of them to stave off the chill. The house was warm, but as the evening wore on, it cooled somewhat. Rose accepted the blanket. This also required them to get close. His arm rested on the back of the couch as they sat, and she ended up resting her head back on it, careful this time not to fall asleep. 

At first, she thought it was nothing, a movement, but nothing more, but then it happened again. His fingers, that had been on the couch behind her, were touching her shoulder. Every once and a while they danced. It took several times for her to notice it. When she did, she wiggled to the side so that her head was resting on his hand. Then he started to play with her hair, just a little, twirling it in his fingers, being gentle, almost absent minded, but still doing it. It was a gentle touch, not advancing, but nice. She wasn’t even sure if he knew what he was doing. She chanced a look at him and found him looking at her, smiling. 

“What?” she asked.

“What do you mean what? I looked at you because you looked at me,” he answered unconvincingly, but moved his fingers to comb through her hair. Oh yeah, he was definitely aware of what he was doing. Then finally. “Is this OK?”

“Yeah,” she breathed. It had been years since her hair had been played with. She wished it would never stop. 

At that moment, the phone rang and they both jumped. 

The Doctor was on his feet immediately, tossing the blanket onto her swiftly. 

"This is the Doctor... Yes... Uh huh... Ok I'll be ready." He hung up and turned to her. "Uh Rose, I uh, have to go. " He looked a bit stricken and was rubbing his hand over his short-cropped hair. 

Rose had been watching him on the phone. But this was the first time he had said anything after getting a call. Usually he just left. "Ok Doctor, be careful. I'll see you after."

"Yeah..." he answered, took a long look at her and turned out of the room. 

Rose finished the movie and was putting up the tray tables when he came back in. Normally he wore black jeans and jumpers and either his leather jacket or a work jacket around the house. But now he looked to be in tactical gear. Black cargo pants with a black belt, black performance shirt, that, she noticed showed off his muscles nicely. He held a black jacket and what could have been a Kevlar vest. He switched hands to hold it away from her when he saw her. Lastly, he had a black nylon bag slung over his shoulder. He looked a little surprised to see her, even though he knew she was still most likely there. 

Rose froze in place. Instead of the man she had just been with, for lack of a better term, snuggling on the couch, the man before her wore a different mask. 

He looked determined and colder, the lines of his face fiercer. His jaw was set, but his eyes widened when they fell on her. He gave her a curt nod and went out the door. When the door was open, Rose could hear the approaching helicopter. 

Rose watched it land in front of the house through a large window. He greeted the pilot with a nod and ducked into the machine. As it took off, he turned, their eyes meeting. She blinked at the intensity of his gaze. Then he was gone.   
OoOooo

Thoughts of the Doctor and the rapid change bounced around in Rose's head for days. The weather had been nicer, so she had been working in the greenhouses. With no one to talk to, she had lot of time just to think. The problem was that she had more questions than answers about him. What exactly was he doing? Who did he work for? What was that urgent that he had to leave at a moment's notice? 

The biggest question was what was happening between them? The night in the barn he had been protective, but there was something else. It only got more obvious when they were on the couch and she had fallen asleep. What was he doing? Was he coming onto her? The idea seemed so foreign. It was not like he was giving her pickup lines in a bar, but his proximity and attentiveness was obvious and, well, nice. 

She had been moving so frequently that personal relationships weren’t even on the table. But here he was playing with her hair? The thing that stuck the most was how he had been after getting the call. He looked like he was going to explain something to her. All the other times he had just left. But something had compelled him to say something. It would be interesting when he got back, to see if he started where he left off.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the part that I fought the most with. It has been an epic battle. It's also a massive chapter.   
> If you are afraid, know that this is a means to an end. I have to go a little off the rails to get it to where I need it. It's not too bad, but I fought with her motivation. Have you ever found yourself pushed into a situation you were totally unprepared for, but felt obligated none the less? Remember that feeling.

In the Doctor’s absence, Rose decided it was a good time to attack more of her projects. In the greenhouse, she found an automatic watering system. It needed work, but she was able to figure it out and only had to go into town once for parts, including a new timer. Someone had a pretty extensive system at one time and it was still in good enough shape to work. When she got it to turn on for the first time, she let out a loud whoop, but was little sad when there wasn't anyone there to share it. Her thoughts shifted back to the mice in the barn, and how fun it was to have the Doctor around. 

Despite all the horror of being chased, the moving, the careful behavior, she had noticed a calm lately. Taking care of the house was good for her and she was seeing changes. And she saw changes in him too. He was softer, more attentive. She was far from wanting a serious relationship right now, but attention felt good. When he wasn’t there, she definitely felt his absence. He was fun to be around. He let her do her chores but lent a hand if necessary. He frequently worked alongside her, doing his own thing. It made the work go faster. They thought alike too, she noticed that frequently they reached for the same thing at the same time when working together. 

And she also found out one more thing, that house could get downright lonely, especially when his absence stretched to two weeks. She had been to town, borrowed movies from the library, read, and even done more as far as brightening up the place. She spent hours on the plants, and with the animals, going for rides and such, but the thing missing was human contact, specifically his human contact. Even going into town and seeing people didn't help. Everyone was nice, but there wasn't any conversation, no kidding and no companionship. She hoped he would be back soon even if he didn’t pick up where they left off. But him being there, even for a few days would do wonders for her sanity. She knew every creak and groan of the house, and even when to expect them. She played music, and sang loudly, but what she wanted was a conversation. 

Then it got worse. On the evening of his 16th day of absence, the phone rang. Rose nearly jumped out of her skin. She was sitting on the couch, reading, and the book flew and landed on the floor. Without reason, her eyes landed on the phone, but of course, no one answered. It rang five times then stopped. Rose relaxed, maybe that meant he was coming back. But then an hour later it rang again. It rang every hour on the hour. Her grasp on sanity was weakening, but her frustration with the calls was blossoming. After five hours of it ringing every sixty minutes, she couldn’t restrain herself anymore. 

She answered it. 

"The Doctor's phone," she answered. 

"Uh-hello, who is this?" came a surprised female voice. 

"This is Rose. Who is this?"

"Is the Doctor there?"

"No, he's ... working. Who’s this?" she repeated. 

There was a pause. "Are you his assistant?" the voice insisted.

Without thinking, Rose answered. "Yes, who is this?"

"Rose, this is Sarah Jane. I imagine you've heard of me."

Rose hadn't. "OK, Sarah why are you calling?" She figured it was best not to let her ignorance of the situation show. 

"I was hoping maybe he made it home. Have you heard from him?"

"No, nothing. "

There was a heavy sigh on the line. "OK well I think we need to go extract him. I’m assuming he’s read you in. Are you able to go right now?"

Rose’s voice came before she could stop herself. "Uh maybe. Where am I going?"

"Really? If he's going to have an assistant, he needs to inform better. Pack a bag. You will be in flight for hours. You will need warmth for the flight, you're going by helo. But the island will be warm if not hot. I don't know what you'll find, so be ready for anything. Jack will get you in an hour." She rang off. 

Rose stood there holding the phone, bewildered. "Hello?” she said into the now quiet line. 

What just happened? The Doctor was stuck somewhere? He heeded to be extracted? How was that a thing? Whoever this Sarah Jane was must have thought she was his assistant and knew what she was doing. The only flaw was that she had no idea. Now there was a helicopter coming for her and she had to be ready. That in and of itself sounded outrageous. 

Maybe someone was coming with her. Yeah, no one would send someone with no experience on a mission to extract someone on her own. Anxiety tinged every cell. How could she stop this? She had no idea what was happening. She couldn't go and get him. No, weren't there people for that?

Morbid curiosity won, and she raced upstairs. 

Rose dressed as best she could for the unknown. She had jeans on, work boots, luckily heavier and better than wellies, a heavy work shirt, and a jacket. She stuffed a few extra things in a bag, underpants, another sports bra and socks Then the ran down to the kitchen, made a water bottle and grabbed about 5 protein bars. 

Before she could stop herself, she was standing outside listening to the sound of the approaching chopper. 

"This is crazy!" she said over and over to herself, but it didn't stop her from advancing on the helicopter when the pilot motioned to her. 

It was a big helicopter, it looked quite powerful. She climbed into the back and closed the sliding door, then secured herself. From the front the pilot pointed to a headset. Rose put it on. 

"Hello there, beautiful! I'm Jack." Came an American accented voice. 

"Rose," she replied breathlessly. 

"I know. So, first time in a helicopter?" his voice crackled into her ear.

"Yes."

"Well it should be a good ride. I like a good ride."

Rose's eyes shot up. He was looking back at her in a mirror, his blue eyes smiling. "I'm kidding. It's OK, I know you're new. I'm the Doctor's best friend. He doesn't know that though. He’s told me about you though. It's my job to get you to the destination then get you out. We'll be flying for a few hours. We'll stop for fuel along the way. But for now, sit back and try to get a little shut eye. I'll call you when you need to do something."

"Where are we going?"

Jack's slightly tinny voice chuckled. "Even I don't know entirely. I only have coordinates. It's gonna get cold in here, grab one of those emergency blankets and wrap it around yourself. Try to sleep. You'll need it. "

Rose did as she was told and pulled out a blanket from a pocket hung on the wall. It was thin and crinkly, but surprisingly warm once she tucked it around herself. But the sleeping thing, there was no way. Her mind was racing faster than it ever had, even faster than when actively running for her life. No way would she sleep. 

But the rumble of the ship took care of that in about five minutes. 

Jack looked back at her periodically. He knew she would fall asleep, they all did.  
OoOoOo  
"Rose...Rose... do you need a pit stop?" A voice was in her ear. 

Rose jolted awake, terrified for a moment, then it all came back. The helicopter had landed and the rotors where slowing down. 

"Can you tell me where we are now?" she asked groggily.

Jack laughed. "Nope, but there's a loo off you your right. Just wait for the blades to stop. Eat something, have a drink of water, we'll be ready to go again soon.”

Rose unhooked herself. The door beside her slit open and there stood possibly one of the most handsome specimens she had ever laid eyes on. He was tall, with dark hair, and a winning smile. He held out a hand to her. His blue eyes made her realize that his was Jack, her pilot. 

He helped her out onto the landing pad. She had hoped for an explanation, but the noise out there was very bad. Other helicopters were coming and going. He pointed to a white building. She walked over and opened the door. Inside was a little sitting area, with no one, and two doors one for men and one for women. In the area was a little fridge with water, and a basket full of various snacks. 

After relieving herself, Rose took a few bars and some water. She was chewing on one, reaching for the door handle to see if she could find Jack when it was jerked open. Jack stood there, this time he had his pilot helmet on. "Time to go!" he said cheerily.

And with that they were gone again, Rose still having no idea what was going on. All she could do was stuff the rest of the bar in her mouth and follow the pilot. 

On this part of the flight, Rose stayed awake. They had been in the dark mostly, but now it was close to dawn. Now she could see some coastlines but had absolutely no idea where she was. She also had absolutely no idea what she was doing. She had no idea why she got on the ship in the first place. Had she gone crazy? Why had she agreed to this? What force had made her leave the house and get on that helicopter? As minutes ticked by, she knew there was no going back. But going forward was becoming terrifying. She had to know something. 

"Jack?" she asked into the headset.

"Yes love, " he answered back.

She blushed. "Where are we?"

"It's classified."

Rose took a deep breath. "What am I doing?"

In front of her, what she could see of Jack stiffened. There was nothing to be heard on the headset save the crackle of static. Then, "Oh Gods, tell me you're his assistant."

"Nope, well kind of, I take care of his estate. I answered the phone, and next thing I know, here I am. Perhaps I should have asked more questions." Her thumb migrated to her mouth and she began to nibble on the nail. 

There was an audible sigh. "Yeah. You should have, or not answered the phone. I thought it was weird when Sarah Jane told me he had an assistant. But we can’t exactly go back. We’re almost there. Um, so where to start. I guess I'll go with what you are doing. You are on a rescue mission. The Doctor went to... help some people and we think it went bad. I don't know what you're going to find. "

"Is he dead?"

"I don't know, Rose. I don't think so. He's one of those guys that always escapes. But he didn't make it to the extraction point and there was a storm so couldn't wait. It's possible that he is just waiting for me, but Sarah Jane has a bad feeling, so we called the house to see if he made it back. Then you answered. Logically she assumed you were his assistant."

"Does he ever not contact you?"

"He has before, especially if a mission went badly. He made his own way home that time. So, you can see why we thought he might be there."

"Mission? What missions is he on?"

"That’s classified."

"Really? Am I not in it now?"

"I don't know what I can tell you. I'm sure Sarah Jane will read you in."

"Who is Sarah Jane?"

"Also classified."

Rose groaned loudly, but she could hear Jack laugh. "Don’t worry, it will all come out eventually. But now our time is short. Let me brief you. "

"Wait, you just found out that I’m here by accident. Why are you letting me continue?"

"The nature of our job here is... difficult to say the least. The Doctor puts himself out there with no backup. He has been pretty lucky so far, but something must have happened. There is no backup. No specially trained troops have his back. He knows that. We have other operatives, some of them have assistants. That's were Sarah Jane thought you came in. You’re his only hope."

"There are others? Anyone who can help?”

“Yes, there are others, like I said, but no one can respond. All but one are on other missions, and the one free one is stuck in the Australian outback. He won’t be clear for days.” 

“You have a helicopter, why don't you just go?"

"Well, first off, this is a multimillion-dollar vessel. I can't leave it like you would a car. It also has technology that is worth more than I am, and some of it decidedly illegal in lots of places. So, she and I are joined at the hip when we are out of our hangar. So, I will drop you off and go for fuel, then I'll be back. "

"I have no idea what I'm doing. I could die," she protested, now feeling the full weight of the situation. 

"Or you could find him and be waiting for me. "

"I don't know." She looked out the window. 

"Rose, the Doctor surrounds himself with people with talent. He always has. Even before. He must have decided you were a good person and talented, or he never would have had you hired on. "

"Oh, come on, I replaced Wilf, though I love that man, he was very old."

Jack laughed. "Actually, Wilf knew all about the Doctor. He went on missions from time to time. Wilf was surprisingly spry. "

"No way."

"Way. Ok, we're approaching. This is an island community. Infrared recon last night suggests he may be in one of the huts. The people are nice, but not used to outsiders. They can be afraid. He tossed a small black bag back to her. "This has some essentials in it. Take water too. Also, there is some stuff for the people. You'll see. There is a radio in it too. Turn it on when you get there. I'll call you on it when I am coming back. Try to get him to where I drop you. "

They were indeed approaching an island. In the dawn she could see clusters of mud huts. Just behind them was jungle. There was a little marina that looked like it had been burned. As they got closer, she could see the burned-out hulls of several boats, one that was huge, like a yacht. There were a few people out, but more emerging with the sound of the approaching helicopter. Rose’s stomach rolled, and nausea hit like a brick. Her mouth watered, and the world began to swim. She put her head to the window hoping upon hope to keep it together. 

It was all swept away though, as things got complicated fast. The landing was difficult, with little room to land, Jack put it down on a rock outcropping. He quickly explained, "The sand is too loose to land on, it goes everywhere. So, you'll have to get him back here. It's like a natural helipad, but hard to get to. Sorry, this is all I can offer."

"I'll manage,” she answered her voice quivering. 

As soon as the skids hit the rock, Jack called out "Out you go, good luck! You can do it!"

Without thinking, she jumped out, her feet hitting rock, and bent over, the noise and wind doubling her over. It got louder as Jack powered up, lifted and flew off. As he turned the ship and headed over the water, profound anxiety hit. What the hell was happening? She fell to her knees, trying to calm her breaths. Why hadn't she told them she was not who they thought she was in the beginning? She had no business being here. But something had possessed her. Jack had said she was his only hope now. Something made her keep going she could have bailed at any moment, but she kept on. And here she was. 

She had spent the last year running from Jimmy, while at the same time getting past being a victim. She was now physically stronger than she’d ever been. Thanks to life at the estate and daily work. She could do this. All she had to do was find him. 

She took in a deep breath of the tropical air. It wasn't overly warm, but she tied her jacket to a nearby tree, if for no reason than to lighten her load. She said out loud, "I'm ready," but failed to convince even herself. Doubt still hung heavily in her head, coupled with the overwhelming feeling that she was in way over her head. She still couldn’t identify the force that was pushing her on, the one that made her get into the helicopter in the first place. She wasn’t quite ready to acknowledge it, but it may have been him. He, who had been getting closer by the day, he who had opened is home to her.

Then it hit her. This was right. It was the right thing to do. The Doctor needed help and there was no one to do it. He was her friend, well kind of, maybe something else. She couldn’t just leave her. And maybe she just would find him somewhere waiting to be rescued, but why had he not come out at the sound of them landing?

She stood and looked out over the top of the outcropping and was met with an interesting sight. Villagers, lots of then, making their way over to her. They looked nice, most smiling, some calling out to her in an unrecognizable language. They pointed to her and pointed to the marina full of the burned boats. For a second, Rose was concerned that they were mad about that. But again, they were smiling. 

Rose went to the edge and then remembered the bag Jack had given her. She reached in to grab the radio and turn it on, but her hand fell on something, or somethings. They were smooth but loose and there were a lot of them. She took some in her hand and a realized that they were candy. Little striped candies of all sorts of flavors. She put them back in, took out the radio turned it on and started down the small path leading her to the villagers. 

When she got there, she quickly realized the reason for the candy. She was quickly inundated by the bright faces of about 20 children. They jabbered at her excitedly, pulling at the bag now slung on her shoulder. Rose knew just what to do. She reached into the bag and removed a handful of candy, placing one piece into the hand of each child, receiving hugs on her legs and happy waves as the children ran away with their new treasure. That left only the adults, and Rose wondered if they wanted candy too. An elderly man approached and eye her, he didn’t look angry, but was taking her in. 

Rose couldn't help herself. "I'm Rose." She tapped her chest. 

"Tabjoon,” replied the man.

"Have you seen the Doctor?" she asked to blank looks. She huffed. "He's tall," she put her hand to about his height, then she pulled out her ears, "with big ears, and a kinda big nose." She mimed a big nose. The villagers giggled, but one older woman stepped up. 

"Docto," she intoned. 

Close enough. Rose nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, the Doctor." The woman nodded, she was only about 4 feet 8 inches tall, and dressed in what Rose imagined was in traditional garb. It was like a light brown gauzy sarong that wrapped around her body and tied at the shoulder. She was quite dark in color, but maybe just from life in the sun. She had some wrinkles, but not many, Rose guessed that she was about 60 or so. She reached out and took Rose's hand and started walking to the huts.

On the way, the old man served as tour guide. Too bad Rose couldn't understand him, because just the tone of his voice made her think she was missing a great story. Still, as he went on, she began to get it. There had been bad men with guns. He mimed people being shot and maybe raped, that wasn't as clear. Then he put his hand up tall to indicate who she thought was the Doctor, and showed him running, and then yelled "BOOM!" then mimed an explosion and pointed to the burned boat. When they got closer Rose saw that it was indeed some kind of yacht. In the early morning light, villagers were on it, they seemed to be taking pieces away, maybe salvaging what they could. Even more were working on the boat docks and some were on shore, working on what looked to be other burned out boats, but not as bad. They were taking what they could from the yacht and repairing their boats. 

A second wave of children attacked as they reached the edge of the village. The woman didn't let go of Rose, but the children, most of them smaller than the first ones were insistent, so Rose slowed and reached into her bag with her free hand, filling little hands with candy. Each child then ran off happily. 

The woman pulled Rose along to the second in the line of huts. It was back a little into the trees, and bigger than some of the others. It also had something covering the doorway. The woman yelled out ahead something and Rose saw the makeshift door move, only to reveal a smaller, older version of the woman holding her hand. The woman had a brief exchange in which the older one looked Rose up and down severely, giving the distinct impression that she was protecting something or someone. 

"Docto," the woman holding her hand said, again tugging at Rose, who was now sure that they were mother and daughter. It looked at first that the older one was not going to move, but the younger one said a few fierce words and pointed to Rose. 

The older one, finally stepped aside, fixing an intense glare on her, but allowing Rose to duck and enter the hut.

Inside it was still dark, there were no windows. There was a strong medicinal scent in the air and little bottles all around holding various shades of herbs. The older woman lit an oil lamp and as it sputtered to life, Rose's eyes fell on a figure on a mat. Even in its supine form, it dwarfed the villagers. It was covered by some sort of sheet. Her eyes travelled the length of it and rested on the end. Two boots stuck out from the sheet. She knew those boots. She pulled free of the woman and rushed to his side. As she was reaching for his face, she felt the sharp sting of a switch to the hand. The older woman stood at her side holding a branch. She spoke angrily at her, as if to say, "Silly girl, hands off!" Rose got the message. 

Then the woman carefully pulled back the mesh cover that was draped over him and Rose took in a quick breath. It was the Doctor, but he was unconscious. He was shirtless, but Rose saw no skin. He was covered with what she imagined were big native leaves that were covered in some medicinal poultice. It smelled strongly, but like menthol. The woman lifted the leaves to show what was under them causing Rose to take in a sharp breath. His lean, well-muscled chest was covered with angry blisters from a burn that extended across his chest and up the right side of his neck. He had lacerations and bruising throughout too. His face was had multiple deep lacerations that looked to be crudely sutured, as well as a swollen and black eye. She couldn’t see the lower half of his body but the way his right leg was propped up, she thought there may be injuries there too. 

Rose fought the urge to reach out and touch him, instead turning to the two woman and the old man who had joined them. "I have to get him to the ... you know..." She mimed the helicopter. They all nodded. The old man turned and left and Rose could hear time shouting orders outside. 

The older woman kneeled next to the Doctor, tutting and re-applying the leaves. Rose joined her. At first the woman ignored her, but as Rose reached for a leaf the woman grabbed her hand. Rose thought she was going to shoo her away, but instead the woman showed her how to smooth the poultice on the leaves and gently apply them to his chest. With each application of the cool leaves, the Doctor groaned lightly, but his eyes remained shut. When they were finished, Rose sat down next to him and reached for his hand. She lifted it, inspecting it for injury. She looked to the old woman who nodded at her. Rose slid her fingers in between his. His hand remained limp, but somehow holding it relaxed her. She had him. Now she just had to get him out of there. 

As she waited for the old man to come back, Rose sat next to the Doctor studying him. He looked peaceful. Gone were his brows that were always on the move, in fact, now that she looked further, they had been burned off. She wanted to touch his face, but she knew better, lest face the switch of the ever-present old woman. Rose's eyes fell on her bag, now cast to the side. Jack had said something about things in there for the villagers. She let go of the Doctor and fished in the bag. There was still candy in there, but it was deeper than she had thought. She took out the radio, checking its volume, to the inquisitive stares of both women. 

She dug deeper until her hand landed on something that felt like a kit. She took it out and looked at it, opening it. Inside were several metal utensils that looked like medical instruments. The older lady gasped and hurried over. She kneeled in front of Rose, her eyes huge and smiling for the first time. She beamed at Rose with her three teeth. 

"Do you want this? I think it may be for you." Rose said, handing it over. The old lady clasped Rose's hands in thanks and took it to her daughter, who looked equally as excited. 

With further digging, Rose found a tightly wound bundle of nylon rope, which the women unfurled to show it was actually very long. Lastly there were several big machete type knives on the bottom. Rose handed them over too. Then she dumped out the rest of the candy, which the younger woman scooped up and placed in a box on a nearby shelf. 

Rose turned back to the Doctor. He was breathing in slow breaths, slightly raspy, almost like he had a cold or something, Rose realized that he may had hurt his lungs when he got burned. So now on top of her original worry, she heaped on a whole bunch more. 

She was watching him intently, hoping for some glimmer that he was in there when the old man came back. With him were two strapping young men, both short in stature but well-muscled. They carried what looked like a stretcher. It was crudely made with branches but looked sturdy. They set it next to the Doctor as the old woman took Rose's hand and directed her out of the hut. Rose stood just outside, looking in, as the men moved, with some difficulty, the Doctor onto the stretcher and lifted it. Inside Rose heard the radio squawk. "Rose, if you can hear me, get to the landing zone, I'm getting close. "

She pushed her way back inside and picked it up. "I'm here Jack."

"Do you have him?"

"I do."

"I'll see you soon."

Rose picked up her now empty bag and stepped back outside. The two young men carried the Doctor outside where they were met by four others like them. They each took one of the handles of the stretcher and started to walk to the landing area.

Had Rose been in a different time or place, she would have watched the young men more intently. They were about her age and very built. They were all about her height too, and tanned bronze. But in this case her eyes were glued to the Doctor. 

She led the little parade back to where she was dropped off. This time no children came close, all keeping a respectable distance, almost reverent. 

In the distance Rose could hear an approaching helicopter. She looked up but could not see it yet. They started up the narrow path, now only two men held the stretcher again. It had to be heavy, but they trudged on. Before she knew it, the helicopter was hovering over the site. She stopped the procession just below the site while still on the trail to allow Jack to put it down. When he landed, Rose popped her head up above the edge to look at him. This time he held up his hand telling her not to advance and she could hear the engines shutting down. 

When the blades stopped turning, he got out. Rose and the villagers started again and when they got to the top. Jack took over for one of them at the Doctor's feet and guided them to the chopper. He had Rose open the door to the back of the ship and then with strong deftness, he lifted the make shift stretcher into the ship. Rose noticed it was set up so that the Doctor's feet were next to Jack, but his body was near Rose. The handles on the head end rested on the seat where Rose sat. He turned to her. "I'm glad that fit, I was worried I was going to have to try to lay him on the floor."

Rose couldn't answer because at that moment she was spun around by the older woman. Rose was truly surprised that she had made the hike, but there she was. She reached up and took Rose's face in her hands then pulled her head down to plant a kiss on Rose's forehead. She then patted her cheek and said "Docto". Then she and the others backed up off the rocks. One of the young men had retrieved her jacket where she had tied it to the tree and ran up to her, shaking it out. Rose took it gratefully. 

Rose waved to them before getting in. When Jack finished seeing to it that the Doctor was secure, he got in the pilot’s seat and put on his helmet. Rose put on her headphones as the whine of the engines started up. Slowly the blades started to turn. Rose saw the last of the villagers disappear down the trail as the dirt started to pick up.

As they lifted, Rose looked down on the village. They were happy, smiling, waving. It looked like everyone had come out. She looked at them, the old women with their hands pressed together showing thanks, the men and children waving. Even the people scavenging the yacht and those working to repair their boats stopped and watched. They were putting their village back together, she mused. She wondered what the Doctor had had to do to make that happen.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of you speculated on the Doctor's response to Rose being there. Some of you were very right. I have some time on my hands for the next few days and plan on posting again really soon. I'm having fun with this,are you? Thanks for your intuitive comments and kudos!

After they turned and were over water again, Rose asked via the headset. "Where are we going now? Are we flying to London?" She figured that was the best place for him, unless there was a developed country closer.

"No ma'am. We’re heading to a secret location. But there will be help for him there. You just keep an eye on him. I'll get you there as fast as I can fly."

Rose turned back to the Doctor. He looked pale in the daylight, well except for the burns. The women had left the leaves in place and had wrapped the gauzy cover around him to hold them on. Rose wondered what they had used on his burns and if it was even effective. But just in case she didn't want to remove anything. At least not until they got to help. "Jack, how long? And do you have to stop for fuel?”

"It'll be about two hours, and no. We're good. This baby has a very long range. We had to stop last night just because of the distance in addition to going to and from the island. But we're good now. Keep an eye on him. If anything changes, let me know."

"I will. " Despite her exhaustion, Rose never took her eyes off him until they landed again. 

OoOoOo

During the flight, Rose sat next to the Doctor's head. Enroute she noticed him start to shift on the stretcher. Even though it looked like they had made an attempt to pad it, it probably was uncomfortable. Since getting in and lifting, it got cool again in the ship. She had put on her jacket again. But Rose unhooked herself from her seatbelt and knelt next to him. She stuck her hands under him and ran them down the side of the stretcher until she felt what might be painful if he was lying on it. She stuffed her jacket under him in that area, having to pull him towards her to get it under him. After that he stilled somewhat. But his face still looked pained. Rose buckled back in her seat and reached out to his face. 

She was still a little shy to touch after having her hand smacked, but the left side of his face was not burned. She stroked it gently. This calmed him considerably. So, the rest of the flight she had her hand on his face. She wished she could talk to him, and calm him verbally, but it was too loud. 

After what might have been two or so hours, Rose heard Jack's voice in her headset. It wasn't aimed at her though. It was radio traffic. They were off the coast of somewhere, and Rose saw a cluster of concrete buildings. Jack turned the ship slightly and Rose saw a proper helipad. He was saying something about getting two gurneys, one to transfer him onto off the stretcher. This made them have to circle out again over the island to give them time to meet his request. In that time Rose saw more of the area. It looked like some sort of military complex. There were various concrete buildings, but with fences around topped with concertina wire. When they swung around again, two gurneys were parked at the edge of the pad. Four people stood there waiting. 

Jack landed smoothly and shut down the motors. When it was shut down, the people worked quickly to get the Doctor out. As Rose climbed out, they set the stretcher made by the natives on one bed but then put the two gurneys together and lifted him off the stretcher and onto the other gurney. Then they snapped up the metal sides and released the brakes and started off the pad. Rose grabbed her jacket from the first gurney and followed. No one acknowledged her, and Jack had gone somewhere, so she followed.   
They went down a ramp and in through double doors. Inside was brightly lit and very white. The landing pad had been on ground level and the building they were in was single story. 

Rose followed them as they pushed him along into what looked like a trauma room from the movies. It had lights hanging from the ceiling and supplies in cupboards all around. Before she knew it, they had the lights trained on him and several people, who she assumed were techs were cutting off the covers and removing the leaves that had been so carefully placed. 

All the activities were overseen by a pretty, young dark-skinned woman who Rose assumed was a doctor. She gave orders to the others including, "I'm not sure what that stuff is on him but do your best to get it off without breaking his blisters. I'm concerned for infection. And get x-ray in here, that leg looks injured." She walked away from him, her eyes now on Rose. "Hi, I'm Dr. Jones. You can call me Martha. Are you Rose?"

"Yes," she answered, not taking her eyes off the Doctor. 

Martha was talking again. "Do you have any idea what that stuff is on him? I've taken a sample to test."

"I don't know. It was something the native women put on him. I think the leaves were just to protect him. "

"Well whatever it is, it seemed to work. I hear you came to his rescue. "

Rose tore her eyes from him. "I guess so. I mean I... I actually don’t really know what happened. It's been a bit of a blur. "

Martha motioned to a chair behind her. "Why don't you have a seat. We'll work to stabilize him. Or would you like to go sleep?”

Rose thought about it. "I don't think I could sleep until I know he's OK."

"Ok, we’ll get you some water. "

Rose sunk into the chair hard. Someone came up and offered her a bottle of water, which she drained. Another one appeared shortly thereafter she drained that too. She knew that she was hungry too, but exhaustion was winning. She wondered idly where the bag she had packed from home was. There were protein bars in there. 

Her thoughts strayed back to the Doctor. People were still around him and she could see that oxygen had been supplied to him via a cannula in his nose. They had managed to get all of the poultice off and he had some sort of ointment applied. Then he was covered by clean gauze, someone was suturing wounds on his face and arms, and they had come and taken an x-ray of his leg and chest with a portable unit too. For that Rose had to briefly leave the room. 

After about an hour, things began to still. He had an IV hanging that was steadily giving him fluid. Antibiotics had been added to that too. She had looked away as they inserted a catheter into his bladder. One thing she also noticed was that he was still agitated. They had to keep holding his hands down and ended up restraining his arms, so he didn’t hurt himself. 

Once things calmed, Martha motioned for her to join her at the bedside. 

"Is he going to be alright?" Rose asked. 

"Yeah, he's doing well," Martha answered, "he's one tough cookie."

"Where are we?" 

Martha looked at Rose sympathetically. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you. But when he wakes up, he can fill you in on some of the things."

"Do you have him sedated?"

"No, we really can't. All the tests come back negative for head injury, but it's hard to tell. I need him to wake up. We did give him a little pain medicine though. That seemed to calm him. "

"What else has he done? To himself I mean."

Martha chuckled. "Well in addition to partial thickness or second-degree burns, he has dislocated his left knee and bruised his ribs badly, I thought they were broken but nothing showed on the x-ray, we’ll repeat that when he is more still, just in case. Then, of course, are all the cuts and bruises. But I think he can make a full recovery. I'll have to get an MRI to see if that knee needs surgery though. I don't think so though, at least not right away."

Rose took up a spot on his left side. "Can I stay with him until he wakes?"

"Yes, you can, I want to keep him in this room for now, in case anything changes. But you are welcome to stay. "

"Thank you. Do you think he'll wake soon?"

"I figure it will be in a little while, but not long." Martha pulled the chair Rose had been in to his bedside and she sat.

Everything hurt. Rose had been up for who knew how long, flown from home, rescued her boss, and now sat staring at him. She examined the lines on his face, now obscured by dressings. He was covered on the bed by what they had called a sterile burn sheet, but it looked more like a paper drape. 

Even though he was sleeping. His face moved. Rose wondered if he was dreaming or just uncomfortable. But after sitting with him a few minutes, he started to stir. It slowly grew into what looked like a fight, complete with his raspy voice shouting out and his arms straining against their restraints until his hands went white.

Before Rose could call out, Martha and two techs came running in. 

"We're gonna have to sedate him." Martha called out. One of the techs went to draw up medication as Rose stood there not knowing what to do. But she did do something, she reached out and cupped his cheek. Just that little movement slowed him. Encouraged, she moved closer and whispered in his ear. "You're alright. I've got you. Just relax. You're safe." She rested her arm across his chest, which was a little awkward with the position of the bedrail. But that did it. He stilled. The tech stood there with a loaded syringe in hand and looked at her, dumbfounded. 

Martha was open mouthed staring at her. "What did you do?"

"I don't know, I just told him it would be alright and touched him. " Rose said blankly. 

Martha came around and lowered the bedrail, pushing Rose’s chair up close and lowering the bed so she could be comfortable. "Well as well as you are OK with it, it's working. His heartrate is even back to normal. You have a magic touch. "

"Not hardly." Rose retorted. After a few minutes everyone left again, with Rose laying as close as she could get without being in the bed. Before long, her head rested on the mattress.

OoOoOo

Rose felt him stirring again. He had been doing it on and off while she had been there. But this time was different. She heard a sharp intake of air. She lifted her head and was met with crystal blue eyes, staring down at her. They were not happy eyes. 

She sat up. "Hi, you’re awake,” she said, offering a smile. 

His expression didn't change. "You answered the phone," he croaked. 

"Yeah,” she answered. 

"That was my only rule," he said. 

Rose pulled her fingers through her hair. "How are you? Are you hurting?" she asked. 

He looked at her for a long moment, then looked away. "You shouldn't be here."

"What?"

This time his voice was louder. "I said, you shouldn’t be here. You don't belong here."

"I went after you," was all she could come up with. She hadn’t expected such a cold reception. 

"That was a mistake. You shouldn’t have come. This is not a place for you."

Rose was at a loss for words. Her mouth opened and closed as she got to her feet. His cold eyes followed her. Just then Martha and the techs returned. She had seen the exchange. "Doctor, how are you?"

He bellowed, "How the fuck do you think I am? Why did you let her come? What the fuck were you all thinking? " He continued to yell loudly, sometimes at Rose, sometimes at Martha, and sometimes at anyone close. Rose backed slowly away, her heart pounding and a sick feeling in her stomach. One of the techs took Rose by the arm and led her into the hall. There she came face to face with a petite woman in her late forties or early fifties, with neat brown hair. She could still hear the yelling in the room even after the door was closed, there was a crash, but the woman’s warm, calm face did not change. 

The woman held out a hand. "Hello Rose, I'm Sarah Jane Smith. I'm the one who called you."

"Hello," Rose answered, still keeping an ear to the insults being hurled in the room, her eyes darting to the door. 

"Rose, I'm sorry for this. I thought initially that he had help. We should have pulled you immediately, but there was no one. I heard you did a fantastic job."

"Yeah" Rose breathed. She heard another crash in the room and cringed. 

Sarah sighed. "He'll calm. He needs a minute. What you did for him was courageous. I admire you for it. But as you know, he's a little of a lone wolf. I'm not sure he knows how to process all this."

"Me neither."

Sarah Jane reached out and put a hand on Rose's shoulder. "What do you say to a shower and some sleep? Maybe some dinner?”

Rose numbly nodded, and Sarah led her to another room down the hall. Inside she was grateful to not be able to hear the tirade. There was a single bed in the room, and a door to an ensuite. Next to the bed was a nightstand that held a covered plate and a bottle of water. On the end of the bed was what looked to be a folded grey sweat suit. Also, on the bed was her bag from home. 

"Here, take a shower and sleep." Sarah was saying. “We'll sort this all out later. She patted Rose on the shoulder and closed the door behind her as she left. Rose went immediately to the food and wolfed down the sandwich under the cover. She didn’t even take the time to register the taste. She drank the water swiftly too. She had every intention to take a shower before sleeping, all it took was for her to sit on the bed, she immediately laid down and she was asleep before her head hit the pillow. 

What Rose didn't see was the after Sarah Jane closed the door to her room, she headed down the hall to the treatment room where the Doctor was still fighting and yelling. She walked in the room and closed the door behind her. The Doctor locked eyes with her, his raging, hers calm. He opened his mouth to yell again, but she beat him too it, bellowing, "THAT WILL BE QUITE ENOUGH, DOCTOR. "

With that he fell silent, and Sarah started to talk.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, a present! For you, not for Rose. Happy whatever you celebrate. I hope you get chocolate. Thanks for all your support with this story, it's the best gift for me.

Rose edged towards consciousness. She rolled over, hands stretching out over the sheets. Then she stopped. These were not her sheets. Her eyes shot open. She looked around in a panic before it dawned on her where she was, and more than that what had happened. Pain crept into her chest as she remembered his reaction to seeing her after the rescue. The old adage that things were better in the morning was wrong. It hurt no less after sleeping. She hadn't cried before. She was too numb, everything was too new and shocking, and she had just trudged ahead without processing any of it. 

But now, alone in the white walled, utilitarian looking environment, devoid of any decorations, Rose sat up in bed and cried. 

She cried for her verbal attack by the Doctor, the fact that she had no idea where she was, what was happening or how she could get out of it. Everyone, except the Doctor, seemed OK with her being there, but where was there? That vision was one that would never erase, pure anger, aimed at her. It’s not like she hadn’t seen anger like that before, but the Doctor’s was different. His mouth spewed his words like weapons, but his eyes, though deadlocked on her soul, held something else. They had been tearing up. Now in the quiet of the room she could see it, though she hadn’t noticed before. Sadness. But there was no reason for it, no explanation, and she wondered if there would ever be. 

The crying went on until the waves of anxiety and hurt waned. It lasted just enough to get it all out. It wasn't a depressive cry, but more like one in the moment, to dispel the pent-up feelings and confusion. Then it was gone. 

She looked around, seeing that the water by the bed had been replaced. Again, she drank it quickly. Then, more because she had no idea what to do next, she took the provided clothing, dug in her bag for the underpants and bra she thoughtfully packed, and took a shower. 

Having a task helped bring her back from her thoughts. The water never got very hot, but the beating of it on her face felt cleansing in more ways than one. After she was adequately scrubbed, she put her hair in a messy bun, happy to see that there had been a few hair ties provided along with some sort of generic antiperspirant. She felt clean, but not comfortable. The sweats provided were grey and flimsy, not the soft ones she would have chosen at home. 

Ready now, or at least dressed, she peeked into the hall. In one direction she knew the Doctor was, but maybe they moved him. Anyway, she wasn't taking the chance and going that direction. The other way was a long hall with a few other doors. 

She went that way. At the end of the hall was a door. As she approached it, she could see a little window to the outside. Yup, this was the door she wanted. 

Outside, Rose looked around. It was tropical, similar to the little island. It was warm but not too warm for her clothes. Besides, a breeze was blowing and it made it nice. She sniffed. She took a deep breath, reveling in the smell of the ocean air. She turned right and walked a little way until she could see the water. It was crystal blue and clear. Rose breathed. It smelled wonderful. She made her way towards it, only to find that there was a low rock wall separating her from the beach. Actually, that wall was low on her side, but high on the other side. The compound she was in must have been up on a ridge. 

She sat on the wall facing the water and let her legs hang over the edge, just looking. She let her mind wander to the scenery. A flock of sea births hovered and then dove one by one into the water about a hundred meters out. She watched them dive and take flight, wondering idly what they were feeding one. After a while a pod of dolphins joined the hunt. She could see their dorsal fins dipping into the water, only to come out again, each time frightening the birds. 

She had been there for a while, but she wasn't sure how long, but the birds had finally finished their feed, when she heard a voice behind her. 

"Senorita?"

Rose turned to see a young man, dark completed with black hair and a wispy mustache looking shyly at her. He wore an ill-fitting uniform that she didn't recognize. He was thin, and his shirt was a few sizes too big for him. He was really a kid, maybe no older than 18. "Yes?" she asked.

"¿Quieres comer?" he asked. When she looked at him blankly, he mimed taking a fork to his mouth. "¿Comer?" he repeated. 

She was hungry, now that she thought about it. She nodded to him and he looked immensely relieved. 

He led Rose into the building and past her room. Now she was heading to where the Doctor had been, she slowed, not wanting to go in, but the young man walked past that room too. Rose let out her breath when she glanced in and saw that the room was empty now. She figured he was leading her to some sort of commissary. 

He took her around another turn and up to a nondescript door. It had Spanish writing on a placard and a #9. He gave her a pleasant smile and opened the door ushering her in. 

She nodded her thanks to him and walked in, only to stop in her tracks with smoldering gaze of brilliant blue eyes. The Doctor was sitting in a chair, a food tray pulled up in front of him. Before her was another chair with another, identical tray, for her all facing him. 

Rose turned to leave, but the young soldier had taken up the space in the doorway. She turned back with a scowl and sat down as defiantly as she could muster. 

The Doctor was already eating but had stopped when she came in. Now he started again. In his silence, she chanced a look at him. The chair he was in was oversized, like the ones in hospital rooms. His skin still bright red, with blisters winding their way up his neck out of the hospital gown he wore. His legs stuck out under the tray but were covered with a blanket. One leg stuck out more though, and she wondered if perhaps it was splinted or braced.

Rose was baffled, not having any idea what was happening and what to do next. The soldier pushed her tray in front of her and took off the cover, revealing some chicken, broccoli, rice and a roll. Rose looked up and it was exactly what the Doctor was eating. 

She wanted to leave, not be there with him, but a whiff of the food changed that, as her stomach growled. She took her seat, and, like him she started to eat, grabbing the roll first and taking a bite. 

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Then without looking up, he said, "I've been told I owe you an explanation. "

Rose looked up without speaking. 

He was still talking to his rice, so she turned her attention back to her food. 

After a few beats he continued. "After I, lost my temper, Sarah talked to me. Actually, she gave me a verbal lashing. What you have stumbled on was my secret. I... help people. It's not just me. There are 13 of us total. We all help people. " He stopped and looked up. Rose felt his eyes and looked up too. His fierceness had abated. Now he just looked perturbed. He continued, "What happened to me was that I had gone to that island to stop pirates. Not the movie kind, but modern pirates. They found this little village and thought it would be a perfect place for a base of operations, or at least a place to hide. As you could imagine, the people didn't agree, especially after the pirates started to take what they wanted, including women and resources. So, I went to help. I tried to negotiate, but they weren't having it. The villagers were such a happy, kind people. So, I had to convince the pirates that his calm little fishing community was not a place for them. But instead they tried to burn the villager’s boats. So, I had to step in. They were going to kill everyone. So, I did what I had to. I guess they had explosives on their ship. All we had intended to do was scorch them, the pirates I mean, maybe do some damage, it was a show of force. But it blew. They were all on it. That’s why I got burned and otherwise injured. I don't remember anything else until I woke up here. Sarah told me that she called the house, looking for me. When you answered, she thought you were my assistant. I never wanted you to know about this. This is my job, you should have stayed out of it, never answered the phone. She should have never let you come." He went back to eating. With a full mouth he added, "We will be leaving tomorrow."

Throughout his explanation, Rose ate her meal. Now that he had offered the story, but no apology, she put down her utensils, grabbed the water bottle on the tray, pushed her chair back and stood. This time the young man didn't bother to stop her. She didn't jump to her feet or do anything dramatic, but simply stood as one would after a class was over. 

The Doctor didn't try to stop her. But as her form disappeared around the corner, he realized she hadn't uttered a word. 

OoOo

Rose was reclining on her bed when Sarah Jane came in some time later. The older woman stood before her. "Did he explain it all to you?"

Rose looked at her. "Well yes, I guess. He said what he was doing and how he got injured. He also gave me a little insight into the, I guess, 13 people that also do things, and help people."

Sara Jane smiled. "Yes, they are all... retired from other professions and want to help people. My job is to find the people to help. Then I tell them what to do and read them into the situation. Listen, I'm sorry that you got dragged into this. I had no idea. I know you have stuff to do back at the house, so I won't keep-"

"OMIGOD the horses!" Rose gasped, sitting up. 

Sarah Jane met her with a kind smile. "Don't worry. It was part of the Doctor’s contingency plan. I was able to contact a local vet tech. He has been up there a few times to help in the past. We pay him well to go and feed the animals in the event that no one is there. He's already been there twice and will take care of things until you get back. You don't have anything to worry about. "

Rose flopped back down. "Whew. Thanks."

"Anyway, Jack will be taking you two home tomorrow and will help set him up. Then Doctor Jones, Martha, will be along in a day or two to check on him."

"Do I have to do anything to help him get home? How badly is he hurt?"

Sarah Jane looked at her. "Well, I guess we're not official here, so privacy laws don't really exist. He's burned, torso and neck, but those will heal. He has two bruised ribs. I took another x-ray this morning and it looks like one might be cracked, it didn’t show up initially. But I swear that man is made of concrete. Also, he dislocated his knee, but it partially reduced itself, Martha got it the rest of the way. He'll wear a brace for a little while then be reevaluated, but Martha doesn't think he needs surgery. He'll need a hand for a few days. But you seem up the task."

"Oh, I can't imagine he'll keep me around after all this."

Sarah sat on the edge of the bed. "Oh, I think you'll be surprised. He's a man that can get angrier than any other man I've ever seen, but he also understands. I put you in this situation. When I ... talked to him last night, he realized that he needs you, if for nothing else than to help with the house. Give him time, he'll come around. But just know he has no intention of letting you go. You run that place and he knows it."

OoOoOo  
Rose was able to take her dinner outside that evening, and Sarah Jane dropped off a few books to keep her busy. She didn't want to, nor was she forced to, see the Doctor again that night. She had time now that she had been fully fed and had slept. The words of the Doctor had been different than the words from Jimmy. The Doctor had been shocked and angered by her presence, but not angered by her. His words also did not come with flying fists or objects. After the ordeal with Jimmy, her Mum had made sure that she had sought counselling. It was helpful too, that plus a natural resilience. Other than fears about what Jimmy would do had he found her, she was not afraid of men, and prided herself on being stronger after the incident. Jimmy may have beat her, but he didn't take her dignity or drive. She hid because it was a necessity. He was simply too dangerous. But that didn't make her afraid to live. 

She loved working for the Doctor. The job allowed her to spread her wings. Though it was lonely at times, she felt a sense of worth. She had made the house more of a home, and the animals and plants were thriving. Being with him also had been becoming more fun. But now she wondered if that was gone, if he would go back to being distant. It seemed to be how it may go. That was if he didn’t fire her and send her away. That was surely a possibility, no matter what Sarah Jane said. She would have to wait and see. 

On her end, she was still processing how mad she was with him. She had risked her life to save his sorry arse and he repaid her by telling her she didn't belong there. Fine then, if he was going to be an arse, she would let him. She'd had bad bosses before. If she stayed, she could avoid him without huge amounts of effort. It was a big house. If she hadn’t liked the job it would be easy to leave, but she did. She would just have to find out a way to do it without him. 

Strangely she was OK with the thought of him being distant too to some degree. He wasn't there much anyhow, and she had enough going on to keep very busy. It was just the human companionship problem. Maybe she could do like Wilf and make a friend or two in town. There had to be a few people around that were her age. 

That night she slept well. Having a plan on what she would do when she got back had eased her anxiety. Early in the morning, just as the sun was coming up, there was a knock on her door. She woke and opened it to another young soldier with a food tray. He handed it over. Folded on top was a little note. Rose opened it read, "Helicopter lifts in 1 hour. -Sarah Jane.”

This gave Rose time to prepare, shower and get dressed back in her original clothes that happily had been washed. 

About 50 minutes later another soldier appeared to take her. She slung her bag over her back and followed. It must had been the path that they originally took on that first night, but somehow it felt unfamiliar. As she got out into the now bright morning, she blinked and looked around. The helicopter had landed and was shut down. Jack was outside chatting to a soldier in Spanish. Then just ahead of her she saw figures get in her path. It was a soldier pushing the Doctor in a wheelchair. He was dressed in similar sweats to what she wore the first night. His right leg was in a full-length immobilizer. He hadn't seen her as she was a few paces behind. 

As they approached the helicopter, Jack looked up. Rose could have sworn he was flirting with the soldier, but he met them with a warm smile. 

He nodded at the Doctor. "Doctor, it's good to see you. You look much better this time than last." The Doctor grumbled something in response. Then Jack spotted Rose. He ran past the Doctor and enveloped her in a crushing hug. "There's my Rosie! I'm so glad to see you!"

Ahead of her the Doctor nearly fell out of his chair trying to see her. Jack scooped up Rose and carried her to the ship, even though she protested. 

He placed her in a seat and handed her the headphones. He spoke low. "Hey I heard everything. Do you want me to dump him out midair?"

Rose laughed. "No, I'll be fine."

"Well you let me know. I'm there for you." He winked and then went to go help the Doctor. 

It was difficult to get the Doctor loaded, but finally he got in and was settled. After clicking his belts in place, he looked over at her. She chanced a glance at him and he nodded his head. She couldn't tell if it was in greeting or to say it was alright, but she didn't react, only looked ahead. There would probably be a time to talk. They would need to. But that time was not now. She wasn't ready. 

There was little chatter on the ride back to London. Jack assured them that the helicopter had enough fuel for the ride. He talked to Rose from time to time, mostly telling her if there was something to look out and see. She also slept a little, the loud engines lulling her to sleep. She didn't look or engage the Doctor for the trip, but he did the same for her. 

Hours later they landed at the Doctor's house. Jack shut down the ship fully before getting out. He opened Rose's side first, giving her a hand out and kissing her knuckles on the way. 

Then Jack came over and helped the Doctor out, who moved slowly and stiffly. Once out, he clung to Jack, draping an arm over Jack's shoulders. Rose ran ahead and opened the door, which was never locked due to their location. She started in when she heard Jack call from behind. 

"Rose, can you help?" She could see that she was struggling under the Doctor's weight. She came back and took up the other side of the Doctor, who also draped his arm over her shoulders. Rose could feel the tension in his body though. He didn't like this any more than she did. 

Carefully they moved him, limping badly into the house then very slowly up the stairs. As they went, he got looser and was able to take more weight on his leg. They reached his bedroom and Rose opened the door. They started to help in in when his arm flew off Rose and went in the air. "No!" he said sharply. He then took a few limping steps inside and closed the door, leaving Jack and Rose in the hallway. 

Jack shrugged. "Ok then."

"C'mon Jack, can you stay for dinner? I'll cook."

"Sounds great, I shouldn't stay, but Sarah Jane doesn't scare me. "

"She doesn't?" Rose teased.

"No, actually she really does, but I told her I was going to help you and his supreme cranky pants get settled."

They both threw fleeting glances at the closed door then went down to the kitchen. 

OoOoOOo

Rose really enjoyed having dinner with Jack. He was flirty and funny and told great stories. He even told her a few about the Doctor. But he kept names out of it and would not elaborate on why the organization existed or who was in it. 

After they ate and were cleaning up, Rose finally asked. "Has he ever had a family? I mean the Doctor. Where does he come from? "

Jack stalled. "That's not my story to tell. I Imagine he'll tell you one day. " Rose frowned but accepted it. He would just have to remain a mystery until he saw fit to fill her in, if he ever did. 

Rose didn't see the Doctor again that night but put a plate for him in the fridge. In the morning when she made coffee before her morning chores, she saw that the plate was in the sink. "Well at least he’s eating" she thought to herself, wondering if they would ever talk again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well hello again. I have no idea what has gotten into me, but I just want to get this stuff out. Probably because it is the angsty stuff that I like best. So basically, this chapter is the Doctor confusing the heck out of Rose. She also comes to a conclusion.

Rose was outside feeding the horses and rather deep in thought when she heard a voice behind her. She nearly jumped out of her skin.

"You must be Rose."

She spun around. "Blimey, you scared me, yes I'm Rose, who are you?"

There was a young man, dark skinned, with very short curly hair, holding a bag of feed in both hands. "I'm Mickey Smith. I'm the vet tech that covers for you when you are out. Sarah Jane called me. I didn't know you were back."

"Yeah, last night. But I don't mind a hand. I mean, if she's paying you. "

"Of course! I’d love to help a pretty lady like yourself. "

They both blushed. Mickey turned and set down the feed bag. 

Working alongside Mickey was fun for them both. Rose hadn't had a friend to talk to, unless she counted Jack last night, in long time. She and Mickey were only a few years apart and had similar interests. And he worked in town, giving her someone to visit and talk to. It was a relief to know that there was someone outside that she could have a normal conversation with. Not that she hadn't talked to the Doctor, but he wasn't a big talker and she needed more. And especially now since they hadn't talked at all, it was harder. 

When then finished, Rose invited Mickey in for breakfast with the fresh eggs they had collected. 

"Sorry, no, I have to get back. My shift at the vet office starts in an hour." He toed the ground. "But I'd... Um, Rose have you thought about getting a dog?"

Rose stared at him for a second. It sounded like he was going a different direction. "Um, I hadn't thought about it, but yeah, I might like a dog. "

"How about two?" Mickey brightened. 

"OK, why?"

Mickey smiled. "Last week one of the people in town came to us with two pups, brother and sister, that she couldn't care for anymore. She had the momma and a whole litter and had to give all of them away. But she was having to go for surgery and only had these two left. They're a handful but really sweet. I call them Max and Ruby. They're about six months old, shepherd mixes, so they won't be huge. What do you think? I could bring them by tomorrow. "

Rose looked up at him, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Mickey smiled back. Her eyes drifted over Mickey’s shoulder to the figure standing there. The Doctor had come up to them, somehow not making a sound and was currently glowering at them both. She cast her eyes down. "Um, it's not my place, you have to ask the Doctor."

Mickey turned and met the stern face of the Doctor. He smiled at him, unaffected by the expression. "How about it, boss? Fancy a pair of sweet doggos to keep Rose here company?"

The Doctor growled. "I'm not your boss." He stood uncomfortably, hand resting on the wall of the barn for stability.

Micky turned back to Rose then back to the Doctor, not sure what to do. 

Rose spoke out, "It would be nice to have dogs here. For security and to keep me company. " She didn't quite meet his stare. 

The Doctor's head bobbed down, and he looked at his feet, then back up to Mickey. "Fine, but they sleep in crates at night, and if they chew on anything they're gone. Also, they are absolutely not my responsibility."

Mickey turned back to her, his smile now from ear to ear. "Ok then I'll be by tomorrow with them. Do you want me to bring anything, like supplies?"

Before Rose could answer, the Doctor did. “Bring two crates, food and whatever they need. Charge it to my account. "

"Do I have a price limit?"

"No," the Doctor answered crisply, then turned and limped off. 

Mickey turned back to Rose with a smile, only to see Rose’s eyes fixed on the back of the retreating Doctor. 

Mickey bid Rose goodbye shortly thereafter and left. Rose finished up a few things and went into the kitchen, wondering if the Doctor would be in there for breakfast. He wasn't, so she cooked and left him a plate, which she came back later to see he had again left in the sink.

Rose didn't see him again until the next morning. She had gone to the barn to let the horses out into the pasture when she nearly ran into him. They only narrowly avoided a collision, but it set her off balance. She wobbled for a second, only to have his hand land on her shoulder to steady her. 

"Oh, excuse me, " she mumbled, changing her trajectory around him. 

"Rose..." he started.

"Yes?" she answered, not looking from where she was opening a stable door. 

He stalled. "Can you exercise Midnight a little harder for me today. I usually ride him and... I can't. "

"Ok, Doctor," she replied blandly, still with her back to him. 

"Also, thank you for cooking for me. I promise to start doing my dishes. "

This made her turn, looking at him questioningly. "It's no problem," she managed. 

Before either of them could say anything else, the barn door opened, and Mickey came in, two very enthusiastic pups at his feet. 

"Oh Mickey! They're adorable!" Rose gushed. She closed the stable door and kneeled, only to be attacked by happy dogs. Rose giggled loudly. Had she looked up at that second, she would have seen a smile grace the lips of the Doctor at her glee. But she was too busy playing with her new friends. 

Mickey left Rose with the dogs and went about unloading the crates, the food, dog beds, toys, bowls and leashes. At the Doctor’s instruction, he put them all in a mud room. 

When he was done setting everything out, Mickey went back outside to find Rose. He found her in a nearby field, teaching the dogs to play fetch. Leaning on the fence, watching silently was the Doctor. "You're all set up, boss." Mickey said, now also leaning on the fence. 

"Not your boss," the Doctor answered. Mickey laughed. 

They both watched Rose for a moment. After Rose turned and waved at them and Mickey waved back, he asked, "So Doctor, Rose is quite a girl. Do you know, is she seeing someone?"

The Doctor stiffened next to him. "You're not her type," he said quietly, but with more intensity than Mickey ever could have thought would fit into four words. 

"I'm not huh?"

"No." It had a finality to it that Mickey was not willing to challenge. 

Rose ran over, the dogs at her heels. 

"You're all set up, Rose," Mickey started, "they have been crated at night since day one, so they'll be fine. Also, I left the blankets they've had with us, so they will be comfortable. The feeding instructions are on the bag. It you have any questions, just, I would say call, but..."

"I'll come see you in town,” Rose finished. “We'll also make a plan to spay and neuter them too. Can you stay for lunch?"

Mickey’s eyes flicked to the Doctor for only a second then back to Rose. "Nah, I have to get back, but next time you come to town, hit me up. We can go grab a bite or something.” 

Next to him the Doctor grunted. Rose looked to him then back to Mickey. Mickey's expression was a little startled but mischievous. "See ya around, Rose." He said, his eyes glancing back at the Doctor. 

"Bye Mickey." Rose answered, but her eyes were on the Doctor. When Mickey was out of earshot she asked, "What was that then?"

The Doctor shrugged, his face still dark. Then he lightened ever so slightly. "You exercise Midnight, I'll put lunch together." With that he turned and limped off. 

Rose stood there watching him. A lot had happened in the last few minutes, and she understood exactly none of it. 

OoOoOo

Rose took her time exercising Midnight, took Buttercup for a brief ride and let the other horses run around. They seemed to like the new pups too, who remained close to Rose, but were well behaved. They even were listening to commands. Rose had pictured Mickey training them a little at some point. 

The deal with Mickey was a strange one. He was cute and funny, but ultimately, she couldn't see being much more than his friend. He was nice enough, there was something else, maybe an immaturity. Perhaps that would change if they spent more time together, but for right now, it was fun just knowing that there was someone she knew in town that she could visit. It would be nice, especially if she and the Doctor never got comfortable with each other again. 

Around noon Rose went back inside. She wasn't sure how the Doctor would feel about having the dogs in the house, so she closed them into the mud room. She needn't worry though, they both ate and went right to their crates, the morning fun wearing them out. 

Rose hadn't expected the Doctor to be around, rather that he would just set something out for her. But when she came into the kitchen, there he was, sitting on a high stool, washing lettuce. 

He turned when she came in. "Where are Max and Ruby?" he asked. 

Rose smiled at the names of children's book characters came from his lips. 

"What?" he asked. 

"They're in the mud room. I wasn't sure if you wanted them in the house. But I was smiling at you already knowing their names."

He darkened considerably. “It's fine to have them in there, but I also wouldn’t mind them having the run of the place, especially if I'm gone. Also, I know the reference for their names. I've read the books. "

"You have? I don't think that was required reading for international soldiers of helpfulness like yourself."

He stopped washing the lettuce, shook it out and put it in a bowl on the counter. It landed a bit hard. "I was a father once Rose," was all he said. He then stood and limped out, leaving a very confused Rose in his wake. 

She didn't see him again that day until she was cooking dinner. He limped in, got a glass from the cupboard, filled it with whisky from a bottle and left without saying anything. 

"Are you hungry?" she asked to his back. 

"No, " he answered. It wasn't hard or mean, just definitive. 

When he came back to refill it a half hour later, just as she was plating her food, he said, "Come into the living room when you're done eating. "

"OK," she answered. She wondered what made him drink on that night, she hadn’t seen him drink hard liquor before, and he was taking big glasses. 

 

When he came down before dinner, both dogs were at his feet. She had let them free in the house earlier, making sure the door to the “Failure Room” was closed. The last thing she needed was for one of them to run by the rhino and get hurt. 

Everywhere he went he was followed by them too. If she wasn't so curious about the Doctor’s behavior that day, she may have had the time to think about how cute it was. 

Later, after finishing and cleaning up, Rose finally went into the living room. If she was honest with herself, she would have said that she was avoiding going in there. She even wondered if he was going to fire her, or maybe complete the dressing down that she got after the rescue. 

The rounded the corner to the living room and both dogs perked their heads up. The Doctor was sitting in a large reclining chair, his braced leg out in front. Ruby was on the chair too, by his good leg and he was idly scratching behind her ears. 

Max jumped up and bounced over to Rose. She patted his head before settling on the couch. The Doctor didn't look up as she entered, but when she sat, he settled his gaze on her. 

He looked tired, really tired. His eyes were glazed and a little unfocused, most likely from the whiskey she surmised. 

He took a breath. "Martha and Jack are coming tomorrow morning. Martha needs to follow up with me."

Rose detected a slight slur to his voice, though he was keeping it in check. "OK..."

He was quiet again and Rose wondered if maybe he had forgotten why he asked her in there with him. After another long stretch, he took a cleansing breath. "I need to tell you some things."

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to," she countered, hoping to make it easier on him. 

"I do." He took a sip of his drink, which Rose noticed was nearly empty. "I need to tell you these things and I need you to just listen and not talk. Understand?"

"Yes."

"I had a wife and daughter once," he started without preamble, "they lived here with me. Jenny was six and Romana and I had been together for years. We didn't think we could have children, then Jenny came. She was the center of our universe."

He took a long pause, and Rose had to bite her tongue not to interject some kind of support. Ruby seemed to pick up on it though, and rested her head on his thigh. 

“We lived here, and I worked... as a mercenary. A hired gun. Very few people know this about me. I sold my services to the highest bidder. It made me a rich man. I could get Jenny and Romana anything they wanted. But as Jenny got older, we wanted her to go to school with kids her age. The school locally was OK, but Jenny was gifted, very intelligent and they couldn't keep up with her academically without putting her with kids two or three years older, and we didn't want that. " His eyes shone with a light Rose hadn't seen before as he recalled his daughter. 

"So, I had a house in London that I had used on and off for years as a safe house or to stay if I had a local job. Only a few people knew it existed and I thought it was safe. Romana took Jenny there and enrolled her in a school for exceptional children. I was finishing a very complex job at the time and I was living in London, undercover, trying to get someone. This time I was working in a team. I had worked with all of them before, including this young idiot named Adam Mitchell. He was a hacker. We had been hired to take out the head of a crime syndicate. I don't know who hired us. But this was a bad man. He had his hand in everything from money laundering to child prostitution. "

He stopped to finish his drink. "His men knew something was up and were able to find Adam. He gave up the rest of us. That night, I decided to check on Romana and Jenny, and I was followed. I didn't even know we had been compromised. We were all in the front room, and I had just gone into the kitchen when the shooting started. " He took a ragged breath, went for a drink but it was empty, then just stared into the glass. 

"They both died. Neither of them had a chance. It was over before they knew what was happening. The very next day I saw to it that the job was completed. Then I moved back here. Sarah Jane was a family friend. She worked with me at the beginning but then moved on. She started the group I work for now. She recruited me. " While he went on, his voice was sharp but low. 

Rose started, "I'm s-" 

He held up a hand. "Don't tell me that you're sorry. Don’t say anything." His slur returned. "I don't need sympathy." His eyes closed. 

There was a long pause, so long, Rose wondered if he was falling asleep. She shifted, and his eyes opened. This time instead of angry, he looked weary, sad. But then a small, loose smile showed. The voice that came was very low, almost as if she wasn't intended to hear it. "I had to get that out. If we were ever going to move ahead, I had to get it out." The last words barely made it past his lips. 

Rose sat, and Max came to her feet, asking to be pet. Rose absent mindedly reached out and scratched behind his ears, but her eyes remained on the Doctor. His eyes had closed again but his face hadn't relaxed. It looked like his jaw was still working. Chewing over what he had last said. 

She took in the man sitting there. His cuts and bruises were healing, and the burn that peeked out of the top of his shirt and onto his neck was now duller. The blisters had gone too. She couldn’t help enjoying his handsome features. Although aware of how good he looked, she seldom had a time just to look at him, and suddenly wished she could do it more. 

He still wore the straight leg brace from days before and she wondered how he was getting his shoes on and such, as he hadn't asked for help. In fact, other than fixing food, she hadn't helped him at all. He just wasn't the type to ask. 

Under the weight of her gaze, his eyes opened. Now they were unfocused and only opened half way. He shifted in his chair and Ruby jumped down. Then he reached down and retraced the recliner, sitting up. Rose got to her feet to give him a hand up, but he shook his head. He unsteadily pushed himself up, swaying a little. When he was steady, he looked at her again. His eyes were still sluggish looking, but brighter. "We'll not speak of this again." he slurred. Then he turned and slowly left, using the wall as support. Ruby followed, and he didn’t stop her. 

The last hour had left her with a lot to process. Later, after putting Max in his crate, Rose found her way to the "Failure Room". She gave the rhinoceros a wide berth, not wanting her tired form anywhere near the pointed horn and walked to the framed pictures. They must have been Romana and Jenny. The more she looked, the more she could see the resemblance between the young girl and the Doctor. Now she knew the story. He had sure picked an odd way to tell her. But perhaps getting drunk was the only way he could build up the courage to do it. Her heart ached for him. All she wanted to do was hug him. But he didn't want any sympathy. 

Never before had Rose more doubted her presence around him. Why had he felt so compelled to tell her? Why had he said something about moving forward? She figured that if she was to work for him, she would be better off knowing his past. But to what end? 

It would have been nice though. Rose thought about what it would feel to have those strong arms envelope her in a hug... or more. Gooseflesh rose on her arm and she shivered. Yeah, that would be nice. But she shook it off. Given his reaction to her on the island, the distain and anger, what she had thought they had had dissolved. It would be best to just maintain the boss-employee relationship. He was not in a place to be with her. No matter what she thought she heard. To him “moving forward” probably wasn’t anything near what she thought. His closeness from before was hard to interpret, but the wall he was quickly building was easier to understand. He was just setting things straight, there was no ulterior motive. 

She internally chastised herself for still harboring the feelings that had started just before he left last time. At that time, she thought that something was on the horizon. 

It's not like she was a little girl with crushes anymore. No, she could work alongside an attractive man without problems. This place was safe, and she appreciated that. If he let her stay, it would be perfect. And if she and he were just friends, or co-workers that would be fine too. It had to be.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it's time for a little clarity, don't you? But of course they couldn't just sit and hash it out. That would be too, easy.   
> I want to thank you for the lovely comments. My favorites are when you call someone out for being stupid. I love that you are so invested in this.   
> There is also smut on the horizon. Not on this horizon, the next one. Also the next few chapters are ginormous.

The next morning Rose got up as usual, nice and early. She went directly to the kitchen and then the mudroom to let Max out but was surprised to find the crate empty. She had secured Max the night before, so she was expecting at least him. She walked back into the kitchen and saw that coffee had been made. She hadn't noticed it on her way through before. So, making a cup, she started to get ready to go outside when she heard something from the living room. 

She went in, only to find the Doctor, fully dressed, holding a dog treats in his hand above both pups. "Sit," he said, firmly. Both dogs sat, and he gave them both treats before he looked up at her, beaming. 

Rose honestly was taken aback by his 180-degree change from the last night. 

"Good morning," she said, "you’re up early."

"Up with the sun, that's me. These guys wanted to go out, so I took them already. I also fed the horses and goats and chickens. So, you're free to get breakfast if you want. Nothing needs to be done immediately."

Rose lifted an eyebrow at him and he blushed, now looking back at his feet. "You feeling OK?" she asked. 

He didn't answer right away. "Yeah, sorry about that. I needed to..."

She picked up where he left off, "I get it, there's no problem. But I figured you'd be hungover."

"Superior biology. I don't get hung over."

"Riiiight" she drawled. 

To her complete surprise, he actually laughed. Then he took a breath. "I needed you to know my story, but I couldn't tell it without... help. " He was fidgeting. 

Rose didn't want another awkward conversation, so she punted. "Did Ruby stay with you all night?"

He grinned again, looking down at the dogs. "Yeah, she was on the foot of the bed all night. She only got up when I did." He ran his hand over his cropped hair. "I suppose my rule of crating them didn't quite work. "

"It did for Max."

The Doctor reached out and gave them both a scratch. "When I lived here with...anyway, we had a couple of dogs. It was really nice having them around, even after. They both died a few years back. I just didn't replace them."

Rose took a breath and went up on her toes, bouncing. "Well, breakfast then?" 

The Doctor brightened and went to answer when they heard the beating of helicopter blades. Rose looked up at him. 

"Maybe breakfast for four?" he asked. 

"That's fine. I also have to go into town. But I'll be back. "

A strange look crossed the Doctor's face. "What do you have to do? You won't be long, will you? " 

Rose tried to read his expression, it was maybe anxiety? "No, I want to see Martha and Jack too, but we also are almost out of coffee. I promise to run to the store and back. Is that OK?"

"It's fine with me. Do what you need to do," he feigned disinterest, but Rose saw right through it. 

She was going to say something more when the helicopter got very loud outside and they knew it was landing. 

They went to the front window to watch it land and shut down, then she jogged out, the Doctor limping behind. The two dogs came out too, to see what was happening. 

Jack was the first out and picked Rose up in a sweeping hug. Then he set her down and hugged the Doctor, who clearly did not want to be hugged, though Rose thought that maybe he had no choice in the matter. 

Martha came out next, and gave both of them hugs too, this one the Doctor accepted. 

They all went inside, Rose and Jack into the kitchen and the Doctor and Martha into the living room for his exam. Martha had two large bags with her that Rose assumed were for her exam and such.

When alone, Jack came up close to Rose. "How has he been, you know since the blow up? "

"It's been weird. We got a couple of dogs, and he was odd with the vet tech who brought them. Then he got really drunk and told me the story of his family. But since then, this morning, he's been… I don't know, like conversational. But we really haven’t talked. The night on the island he told me about his job, he didn't want me to say anything. The same happened last night. All I've said to him has been a few sentences. It's just, like I said, weird. "

"You know what? I think he likes you.” Rose hmphed, and Jack held out a hand in a placating gesture. “Let me ask you this. Was the vet tech male?"

"Yes, his name is Mickey."

"Uh huh, OK I'll drop some other knowledge on you. When I picked him up for this last mission, he talked most of the way there. Do you want to know what he talked about?"

"What?"

"You."

"No, there is no way."

"Yes, I swear. He told me that this mission had come at a bad time for him and that ... I'm going to stop there. "

"No fair." 

Jack shook his head. "Just know this. He thinks very highly of you. But he's emotionally ... um... not good with emotions. You need to give him time... and space he'll come around to it. But knowing what you know, if you want to try to meet him half way, it may help him. Of course, if you are willing or want to go there. "

Rose leaned back on the counter. This completely went against what she had been thinking the night before. "I'm honestly still recovering from him yelling at me. I mean, I learned about his family and such, but not why he lost it on me. That hurt so bad. I mean, not so bad that I want to leave, but bad enough that my desire to be around him for long periods may not be there. He keeps injecting himself into my day though, but since I don't know what set him off, I don't know how to react around him. I feel like I’m walking on eggshells, just waiting for the next blowup.”

Jack looked like he was going to answer when Martha and the Doctor came back in. Rose raised her eyebrows at him. 

He smiled and pointed down to his leg. "Martha let me graduate to a new brace. Maybe now I can ride Midnight." 

Rose looked down too. Gone was the full leg straight brace, and in its place was a neoprene wraparound that had heavy hinges at the knee. He still limped a little but was moving a lot smoother. He looked very pleased though. 

All four of them ate together, sharing stories. Rose mostly listened, but it was nice to see the Doctor comfortable and in his element. It was also nice to see him laugh. She’s seen him happier before, but this wasn’t bad. 

Before long, Rose got up. "Well, I need to see to these dishes, I need to go into town." Jack and the Doctor were up in a flash.

The Doctor spoke first. "We'll get those, so you can get done and get back. " 

Jack snuck a smile at her. 

Martha spoke from the table. "Also Rose, can I leave a kit for you to take out some of the Doctor's sutures in a day or two? They need a little more time."

"Yeah, sure, no problem. "

So, hugging Jack and Martha again, she headed out. 

Once Rose was outside both Martha and Jack turned on him. 

Martha crossed her arms. "Tell me you've apologized to her. "

The Doctor hung his head. "No, I told her the story though."

"That doesn't count," Jack interjected. "She told me you got really drunk and wouldn't let her say anything. What are you doing? She's amazing. You need to let her know how you feel."

The Doctor rubbed his face. "I don't know how she feels about me. She’s so young. She’s been hurt too,” he growled. "I guess I just added to that. Gods, I'm thick."

"Why did you have such a strong reaction to her initially on the island?" Martha asked.

"I- this life- it's tough. I already lost someone to it. I mean to my former life, but this one isn't that far off. I'm just doing 100% good now. She doesn't need to be in it, I can't imagine it hurting her, hurting someone else I-" he didn't finish. 

"You know you're rubbish by yourself," Martha said. "Even Wilf helped you. You need to talk to her and hear what she has to say."

Jack spoke up. "Yeah, she told me that she has only said a few things to you since you both got back. Have you really talked to her at all?"

"I guess not," the Doctor answered. 

"Well you better get on it, before she moves on. You're terrifying. If you want her to be a part of your life, you're going to have to actually talk to her, and then listen." This came from Martha. 

"OK, I'll talk to her today, I promise. Can you two stay?"

Jack shook his head. "Nope, we have some other stops today, we’ll be heading back later tonight. How long are you out of service for?"

Both men looked to Martha.

"I'm clearing him for light duty today. No rescue or heavy-duty work. He's good for surveillance. No running until that knee heals. But subterfuge is fine." They all laughed. 

OoOoOo

Rose was in town when she heard the helicopter fly over. She smiled to herself. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about what Jack told her. Did the Doctor think that highly of her that he felt compelled to talk about her? Then what the heck was the yelling for? After that incident she was sure that they wouldn’t talk again. It was pretty damning for even their friendship, let alone anything else. 

 

But he had been warming, and she didn't know how to feel about that. She wasn't lying when she told Jack that she hadn't been able to talk. But she honestly didn't know what she would say if given the chance. But there was always the chance of something like that happening again, especially if she didn't know what set him off. 

Rose wandered the aisles of the grocery, not focusing on much. She got coffee and produce as well as a bag of frozen chicken and more ingredients for stew. As she passed the bakery on her way to the checkouts, if she would have noticed, eyes were on her. 

But she didn't. She was a million miles away, wondering if there was something to be had between her and the Doctor. The concept was both intriguing and frightening. 

She was followed for a few steps, but just as she felt the presence of someone in her wake, he disappeared. She shrugged and went to check out, not noticing that the eyes were still glued to her. 

OoOooo

When Rose got back the Doctor was nowhere to be found. She figured he went to go ride Midnight. She ate a quick lunch and went out to work in her green house. 

The plants had been coming along well soon she would have enough tomatoes to make homemade spaghetti sauce. Her ingredients for pesto were growing well too. It would be good sauce. 

She was fussing over a cucumber vine when she heard approaching of hooves. "Rose?" came the Doctor's voice, raised but not at a yell. 

Rose clapped her hands together to remove the soil on her gloves then moved outside. Th Doctor was there, on Midnight, but he also held the reigns of a saddled Buttercup. He was smiling down at her. "Fancy a ride?" he asked.

"Sure," she said, removing her gloves and stuffing them in the back pocket of her jeans. 

Once she was mounted up the Doctor called, "Follow me!" and took off at a gallop. Rose laughed, and she and Buttercup gave chase. She loved to watch Midnight run. He was poetry in motion, all strength and speed. And with the Doctor riding him it was even better. The Doctor leaned forward, his face fixed, as if riding into battle. They almost reached the tree line when he pulled Midnight to a halt. When Rose caught up, he was clutching his side and breathing heavily. 

"You OK?" she asked. 

"Yeah, " he huffed. "The old ribs are not ready for that much motion. But Midnight here wanted to run, he'd run for miles if I let him. But for now, he'll have to settle for a few hundred meters. "

Rose smiled. "Those old bones take time to heal," she teased.

The Doctor's eyes shot to hers, then he looked away. "Yeah, I guess so." His shoulders sunk. And he steered Midnight to the trail.

Rose took it in for a moment, confused. "Wait!" she called, "That wasn't a comment about your age, I was teasing. You used the word old first." Buttercup came along side Midnight. The Doctor was looking straight ahead. Rose reached over and pushed on his shoulder. "I don't see you as old."

He glanced at her and then back. "But I am."

"Not to me, I mean you are older than me, but not... I don't know." 

They rode in silence for a few minutes, the only sounds the clatter on a horse hoof on an occasional rock. As the silence stretched between them Rose noticed that it wasn’t uncomfortable. It reminded her of the time, before the rescue when they would work side by side, saying little but being OK with it. 

As they got deeper into the forest, Rose could see that they were approaching a ridge. The Doctor was ahead of her and steered Midnight down a well-worn path. As Midnight started to disappear, Rose could see that it was a winding trail into a canyon below. The horses didn’t stall at all, like they had been there a hundred times. All around them the trees were all shades of green, moss covered rocks lined the path that had been worn from years of use. At the bottom of the canyon, a stream ran. It wasn’t a raging river or a little creek, but in between. The sound of the water bubbling was comforting, and Rose couldn’t wait to get closer to see it. 

When they got to the bottom, he waited for her to catch up. She smiled at him, happy to be off the trail but in return he gave her a tight-lipped look. She was waiting for him to go, lead her farther, but he had stopped, his hands resting on his knees, the reigns loosely in his hands. He looked to her for a couple of beats and back to the trail. He let out a slow breath and she could see his jaw was moving again. It was the look of a man who was working something through. Suddenly his eyes jetted to hers, only to look behind her and settle there. He took another breath. He turned Midnight and started off again and didn’t say anything until Buttercup started to walk behind. Then, over his shoulder she heard, "I never thanked you for saving me." His words were flat, more matter of fact than the thanks she deserved.

Rose pulled Buttercup to a halt, even as the Doctor kept going. He got a few meters ahead and turned in his saddle. Rose's face had gone blank, but she had squinted her eyes. 

"What?" he asked. 

Rose shook her head. "Are you serious? You yelled, at me, no, you tore me up. You lost your mind on me. I have never felt so low for doing something that I thought was helping. It was a slap in the face, Doctor. And I’ve had my fair share of those. It may not have been physical, but it packed a wallop. And now you are saying thank you? How about apologizing? Did you think about that? You tore my head off in front of all those people, with no explanation and now you want to thank me? And it wasn’t even a proper thanks. It was a statement. How am I supposed to feel about that? " Her voice was rising. "Then you get drunk, tell me your life story, all the while not letting me say a word. Then you come back the next day all nice, like nothing happened. Meanwhile I’ve been tiptoeing around, flying blind since we got back, not sure where you stand, where I stand, and whether you will lose your mind again. I’ve been so off balance, I’m not even sure what it feels like to be right. You can’t do that! It’s not fair.”

He stared at her blankly, not moving, and worse, not saying anything. 

Rose growled, then she pulled on her reins to turn Buttercup around. "I'm going back, I have chores to do,” she said, her voice now barely audible. 

She gave Buttercup a kick to get her to run and started back up the trail. It wasn't the smartest thing to do, having the horse run uphill, but it was what Rose needed. She also needed to leave him in the dust. Her yelling at him surprised her as much as it did him. But once it started, she couldn’t stop. It was as if she had sprung a leak, and it all just came running out. It was cathartic, though she hadn’t realized that it was so close to the surface. It was out now, and he could do with it as he saw fit. She was very aware that she may have just nailed the final nail in her coffin. 

At the top of the ridge, the kicked Buttercup into a full gallop. It was only then, with the wind hitting her face, that she felt the tears that had fallen. Cold streaks lined her face. How could she have not noticed? She took one hand and angrily wiped them away. 

The sound of Buttercups hooves was joined only seconds later by other, swifter hooves. Midnight was pulling up next to her. The Doctor reached out and grabbed for her reins, stopping both the horses. 

Rose's eyes raged. "What are you doing?" she yelled.

The Doctor let go of the reins and tucked his arm along his ribs. He took a few gasping breaths and then looked up. "If you were going to get so mad at me, you have to at least give me time for a rebuttal, " he sputtered out. 

“You didn’t.” she countered.

“Right,” he forced out between gasps. “I feel terrible about that. Well, and a lot of things.” He took a slow, stuttering breath. 

Rose felt a twinge of guilt at how he was clearly hurting. But not that big of one. He took a few more breaths and straightened up, wincing. "Can I get a do-over?"

Rose just eyed him and crossed her arms over her chest. 

"I'll take your silence as approval. OK, first I want to apologize. What I said, or yelled, was wrong. I was... surprised to see you there. I had no idea. My reaction was because... oh geez... rescuing me put you in danger. I... I didn't want you in danger." He sat a little straighter. "This job, it’s unpredictable and can be scary. I never know what I'm getting into. If I was to bring you in, like Sarah Jane did, it would be putting you in danger. When I came to and realized what happened, where you had been, and what could have happened, I lost it." His eyes searched her face. They lacked their usual fierceness and had taken on a sad look. 

Suddenly Rose remembered the sadness in those eyes on the island. It was the same, he was being sincere. She softened. "You freaked out because you didn't want me hurt? I thought it was because you didn't want me there."

He smiled, sadly. "No, I .... um... I didn't want you in a situation where you could be hurt. You heard my story. Just being who I was put my family in peril, and I lost them. I didn't want to... Oh Gods… "

"What? You’ve told me everything so far, you can tell me the rest." She leaned forward in her saddle. 

He rubbed his hand over his face, rubbing his close-cropped hair. He stopped moving, and Rose found his eyes again, they were boring into hers, the deep blue threatening to either suck her in, or blow her away. He looked sad, but intense, but also pleading. The combination of those three things made a shiver run from Rose's head down her spine. He took another stuttering breath. "I like you, Rose. No, that's not right. Well it is, but I have feelings for you. They started on the first day we met. You were so strong, so confident and on top of that, beautiful. I wanted to be with you from that moment on. That's why I showed you the house myself. I had to see if you were who I thought you were. Then you came in and breathed new life into this place. I started to warm too. You made my house a home again and made it somewhere I wanted to be again. But when saw you there, after you rescued me, it hit me hard, that you had been brought into this life and you could be just as easily taken out. I couldn't take it. I couldn't lose you, even though I was just getting to know you. "

Rose stared at him blankly. He was blushing severely, only made worse by the still pink skin on his neck. The Doctor she had met and gotten to know had never openly emoted before, well until he told his story. But now, sitting in a field astride horses, he just told her that he was attracted to her and didn't want her to he hurt. She didn't know what to say. She was, and had been, attracted to him too, but thought he was a bit unreachable. She could tell he was warming to her, and before everything happened had been spending more time with her. She could see now that that was his way of being with her. He wasn't good at his, but after her life with Jimmy neither was she. She hadn't been with anyone since. 

Rose saw the Doctor's face fall, his eyes, that were on hers, drift down. He let out a hint of a sigh, and turned Midnight back to the barn, leaving Rose, still massively confused behind him. 

This time it was Rose's turn to catch up. "Wait!" she called, spurring Buttercup. At least Midnight wasn't galloping, though by the look of pain on the Doctor's face that was out of the question. 

He hadn't reached the barn yet when she was by his side. "You have to wait!" she exclaimed. "This is news to me and you have to give me time to absorb it. "

He turned to her. "Tell me, was I imagining it? Or did you like me too?"

Rose smiled. "Yes, I mean no. I mean no, you weren't imagining it. Yes, I was taking notice of you too. But I wasn't sure where you stood with me. If you haven't figured it out yet, you're a little hard to read. You also are not very forthcoming with information."

He barked a laugh then groaned and hugged his side. "Ow." 

"Maybe you should forgo riding for another few weeks."

"Agreed," he said, sliding down off the saddle. 

There was no further talk while they put the horses up. He finished first, but waited for her, busying himself with various tasks. 

When she was done, he approached her, reaching out for her hand, which he took, interlacing their fingers. 

On the way in she chuckled. 

"What?" he asked. 

"You are a man of few words but a lot of actions."

"I like it like that, it makes me mysterious. "

“If not annoying."

This time he chuckled. "Can I help with dinner?"

"As a matter of fact, you can. I'm doing spaghetti, with fresh spices from the garden, as well as a salad and rolls. You can pick the wine. Well, as long as we don't have a repeat of the other night. "

"Nope, you know all my secrets. That episode won't be repeated."

Rose brought his arm across her body and hugged it, smiling up at him. He smiled back.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here it is, we finally get there. So yes, there is smut. Also there is some domestic abuse. It gets a start in this chapter and goes into the next. All your fears will be realized. You guys have been great at guessing what's up. I hope I bring it to you in a way you like. Thank you for all your kind comments. I'm enjoying you liking this story!

Once inside, they prepared the meal. Now that it was out in the open, they talked freely. The Doctor was more apt to tell her things about himself, school, odds and ends, and Rose told him funny stories. 

They settled in the living room, he in his chair and her on the couch. The food was good, and the wine loosened them both. Soon they found themselves laughing and sharing. 

After a story about sneaking out as a teenager and getting caught, Rose found the Doctor staring at her. 

"What now?" she asked. 

He gave his head a little shake. "When we met, I never thought that this was the real you. I mean, you have such fire. But I don't get something. How, with you being you, did you fall for that guy?"

No explanation was needed. She knew exactly what he was talking about. She sat back and took a long sip out of her wine glass. "I got a little lost. I was approaching my A levels but I had no idea what I wanted to be. Along came Jimmy, all rock and roll and promises. I quit school and followed him out on tour. Before long, I had a pregnancy scare, and I begged him to marry me. Things went from bad to worse after that."

"I have a hard time believing you begged anyone. It doesn't sound like you. "

"I was in a bad place. I didn't like who I was and had no future. My mum had stopped talking to me and kicked me out, and I had nowhere to go. Somehow, I thought if he married me, he would settle down. I was wrong. He just got worse. Eventually it led to the event that sent him to jail. You know the rest of the story. But I have spent the years away from him both running and changing. What you see before you is the product of running. Believe it or not, it's made me stronger."

"There’s no doubt you are strong. Among the strongest I have ever met," he said. "But yet you have to still run."

"Jimmy’s out there, he's always looking for me. He’ll kill me if he sees me. No matter how strong I become, he will get me any chance he has. That's why I’m so happy to be here with you. Here I can be myself without looking over my shoulder. But I get the added bonus of being here, with you."

"I'm an added bonus?" He raised an eyebrow at her. 

"Yes," she nodded, smiling. 

"You know, I bet I know someone who can eliminate that threat. "

"I'm sure you do. But it's not your fight, it's mine. "

"You're here, we're us, It's my fight now too. "

"I don't know, can we come back to that?"

He regarded her for a long moment. "Yes, but I'm not done with it."

Rose got to her feet. "Dishes," she said, gathering hers and reaching for his. 

He got up too, though a bit painfully, holding out his dish, but caressing her hand as she took it. She gave him a shy smile. "Feeling our age, are we?" she teased.

"No way." He placed both hands on her hips and pulled her close, as close as he could with the dishes between them. He looked deeply into her eyes. In them she could see clear blue, but something else, something she had seen before. Desire. But it was different. Gone was the aggression that had been paired with it before, years ago. Now it was just there, by itself, not ice cold, but warm. She bit her lip. 

The Doctor must have sensed that she wasn't ready, not yet, because he gave her hips a squeeze and let her go, dropping his arm over her as they went to the kitchen. He feigned weakness and needed her to help him move, but she knew better. 

She washed, and he dried but filled their glasses while he waited. He sipped while she scrubbed, and she sipped while he dried and put away. It was casual and nice, and both were loving the closeness that neither had anticipated even that morning. 

After they finished, they let the dogs in. Rose took the wine bottle into the living room and set it on the end table. The wine had made her delightfully lightheaded, though she could not see if it had a similar effect on him. His movements were just as sure as ever. 

Rose sat down and pulled the blanket off the back of the couch, Max and Ruby both at her feet. The Doctor came in, looked around and frowned. "It's cooler in here tonight. Do you feel a draft? Do we maybe have a window open?"

"I don't think so, I haven't opened windows in a while. Do you want to go look? I'll help. "

"Nah, we'll do it later. It's just cool in here maybe."

Rose took a sip of wine. "There's room here under the blanket. Plenty of room for two."

He grinned and joined her, having a seat and letting her snuggle up to his chest. "Are you going to fall asleep again?" he asked.

"Maybe, now that I know that you aren't repulsed by me presence."

"Not even a little bit, " he answered, pulling her in close and dropping a kiss on the top of her head. 

Rose looked up to him. The motion made him look down at her. His blue eyes searched her face, her brown ones asking a silent question. 

The kiss wasn't there, and then it was. Together they closed the gap, together they melted. It wasn't heated, but slow and sweet. His tongue asked for entrance and she allowed it, tasting him. He shifted to hold her head with both his hands, her hands feeling his muscled chest. His hands wandered down her body too, stopping at her breasts. 

Rose groaned shifting closer. 

"Can I touch you?" he almost gasped. 

"Yes," she whispered. Gently his hands went to her breasts, making her moan again. His touch was so gentle, soft and caressing. She had often wondered if when someone, if someone ever touched her again, she would be able to let it happen. But the Doctor’s hands were loving, reverent, and just perfect. Rose leaned into his touch like she was starving. 

It had been a long while since either of them had felt physical love. Rose had not had a sensual touch in years, longer for him. The cumulative time that they had without touch such as this increased both of their need. 

His hands on her breasts moved faster, her hands on his chest matching their speed. He reached around, grabbing her bum and pulling her to him. She swung a leg over his lap, coming to rest in front of him. 

She bucked her pelvis once and he nearly came unglued. She smiled against his lips, feeling his true feelings trapped between them. 

At their feet, Max whined at something and barked once, but they both ignored it, too invested in each other at that moment. 

Rose's hoodie was off in a flash, as well as his jumper. Neither of them noticed that both dogs left the room. 

Rose and the Doctor both kissed, nipped sucked and caressed. 

Rose knew she should stop, that they were moving too fast, but it had been so long since someone had made love to her. It felt so good. 

She felt sudden freedom and realized that he had detached her bra. His mouth latched onto her breast and she let out a little scream, which only spurred him on. 

One of his hands held the breast in place, while the other flicked at the button of her jeans. He stalled as if asking permission. She sighed, "Yes, please." 

She was so enthralled by his magic tongue on her nipple that she nearly lost it when his hand slid into her pants and under the elastic of her knickers. 

It made her hips buck and he growled against her breast. 

Not to be outdone, Rose went for the button on his trousers. She unzipped him, then reached into his pants and pulled him out. Once free, he stood proud between them. Rose wrapped her hands around him, giving him a long stroke. 

He gasped, losing suction on her breast, out of breath. "Is this happening? Is this OK?"

"It's more than OK."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Doctor, I want this. I want you."

He kissed her quickly then pulled back. "Are you? On something? Nrrrrg…” He growled as her hand did a twisting upstroke on his manhood. “I mean birth control. I don't have ahhh…condoms."

She smiled at his inability to speak clearly while she pleasured him. "I have an IUD. And yes, I'm clean. I was tested after... well I'm clean. "

"Me too, part of my annual physical, whether I need it or not." He sighed, bucking his hips, driving himself upward into her soft hand, attacking her other breast. Rose began to stoke him harder, dropping kisses on his neck and shoulder. 

After a little bit, she stopped and pulled back. "Lay down."

Without hesitation, he did. Rose got to her feet and removed her jeans and knickers. She then carefully took off the brace on his knee, then pulled off his trousers and finally his pants. She stepped back and took a long look at him. 

He watched her watch him. Before he could ask what she was doing, she straddled him again, but just above knees. His erection stood before her and she got a mischievous look in her eyes.

He watched, eyes huge as she dipped down and took him in her mouth. 

"OMIGOD!" he yelled, not able to stop the sudden buck of his hips. 

He took a long slow breath, but her ministrations were overwhelming. He brought his hand to her hair, gently tugging her off. She smiled up at him. 

He ran his hand down her cheek. "Rose, I need you. please. NOW."

She obliged with a grin, kissed him on the head of his member to which he groaned loudly. Slowly she slid up his form until she straddled his pelvis. Slowly she teased him, running his tip through her folds, just enough to spread the wetness they both had. 

"I can't wait, guh, please," he begged, his voice rasping out. His hands went to her hips, she took him in hand again, guiding, as she slid down, slowly adjusting to him. 

He couldn’t help it, his head shot back in ecstasy. "OOHHHH," he groaned as her warm silkiness enveloped him. 

Slowly she started to move. He stilled her. "You have to give me a minute, or this will be over too soon."

She nodded, dipping to kiss him. His hand snaked between him, finding the center of her pleasure. He massaged her gently, reaching up pulling her to him, finally taking her breast in his mouth. She groaned loudly, but as she got even more aroused, she couldn’t help it, and started to move on him. She pushed up, until he was nearly out, then crashed down, to his cry of delight. His hips started to buck on their own will, and she matched him, both moaning, him still trying to suck on her breast, but finally letting go. It wasn’t long before his movements became more erratic. 

She was close too, her grunts and noises getting louder. She could feel her release building as he started to lift her with each buck of his hips. 

Together they came crashing down, their voices mingling with matching shouts of pleasure. 

Rose rested her head on his now sweaty chest, both of them breathing in concert. The Doctor’s hands came to rest on her back as they basked in their shared delight. 

"Wow," he rumbled. 

Rose giggled. "Yeah wow. That escalated quickly."

He laughed, shaking her lightly as she laid there. 

"I never want to move again," he said, now stroking her hair. 

One of the dogs barked, bringing them both back to reality. Rose sat up, and he hissed with the increased sensitivity. She carefully raised herself off him, giggling at him being overwhelmed as she slid off him, and went to go collect clothing. He reached for his brace and put it on over his bare skin, not bothering with his trousers. He did, however, locate his pants and slid them on. 

When he looked up, Rose was dressed again. "I'm going to put the dogs in their crates. Who knows what kind of shenanigans they've gotten into when we were... busy. "

The Doctor swung his legs off the couch. "Sleep with me tonight, Rose."

"You mean in your bed?"

"Well, the couch isn't exactly comfortable, now is it? And your bed is way too small."

Rose smiled. "I'd love to. But how much sleeping are we really going to do?"

"Only as much as you want to." he answered. He held out his hand for her to help him up. "Oh, I'm going to be sore in the morning, for more than one reason. " He smirked at her. 

"At least one of those reasons is a good one in my book."

"I think all of them are," he countered, starting towards his bedroom. 

"Max! Ruby!" she called.

"I'm gonna go for a shower," he said over his shoulder as she called again for the dogs. 

"If you go slow, I may want to join you," she said. 

"Now I'm thanking myself for getting the extra-large water heater," he said with a seductive smile then started for the stairs. 

Rose called a third time before heard the pounding of puppy paws. When they got to her, they were agitated. "What's wrong with you two? Do you have to wee?" She took them to the mud room and opened the door to the outside, but neither one went out. 

"OK, you little weirdos, into your crates." She was maneuvering them in when she heard the water start upstairs and was instantly distracted by thoughts of the Doctor. 

Ruby went into her crate but whined when the door was closed. Max was harder to get in. She ended up shoving him until he went in, but he turned immediately upon getting in, growling his little and not quite yet menacing growl. Rose was about to start to chastise him when she saw that his eyes were not on her, but behind her. 

"Hello wife," came a cold voice from behind her. She whipped around. 

The first words that came to her were, "I'm not your wife. "

"But that's the last thing you were to me, that is before you got me arrested. That wasn't very nice, Rose. "

"How did you find me, Jimmy?" she asked, glancing around for a weapon.

"Your mum needs to stop talking in the grocery. There are ears everywhere. She was asking about storm damage in hour town. A little birdie heard her, and after a little Google searching, voila here I am. "

All that was in Rose's reach was a poop scooper. She flung it at him, reaching for the door. The whole time Max and Ruby were barking wildly. 

Jimmy deflected the scooper and lunged at Rose, catching the hood of her sweatshirt. "Now I've got you, you little slut." He wrapped his hand over her mouth and his arm around her body. His pungent stench of unwashed man and cigarette smoke nearly choking her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't stand to let you all wait. You have been so lovely with the comments and kudos, I decided to let this chapter out. And it's a doozy. Not only is it huge, it covers a lot of ground. If you are sensitive to domestic violence, you may want to skip most of it, at least the beginning part.   
> Thank you for reading, I am humbled that anyone likes the weirdness my brain belches out.

The Doctor readied the ensuite. He got out two clean towels, got a new bar of soap, some scented body wash that he rarely used and a loofa, and cleared the counter. He started the water, knowing it would take a little while to get warm. The plan had been to go collect Rose. He still only wore his pants and knee brace, he cursed the later. Though a necessity, it was a bit of a mood killer, at least for him. 

He walked back into his bedroom and could hear the dogs barking. Rose must be playing with them. He started back towards the kitchen but halted by the library. The door was cracked open. He usually kept that door shut. Then something tickled his nose. He stuck his head into the room and took in a sniff, then recoiled. What was that, body odor? Downstairs he heard a crash and more barking. He was off in a flash. 

OoOoOo  
Rose struggled, but Jimmy held her tighter. "Stop fighting you little bitch. I just want to talk to you." 

She kicked back, landing a blow to his leg. 

"Ow! I know you like it rough, Rose or was that me? I can't remember after you had me sent away. That wasn't nice. But I have to know, does your new fuckboy treat you like I did? Does he know that you like a little pain with your pleasure? Or maybe that was me again. "

Rose growled against his hand. She tried to bite him, but he held too tight. 

He started to drag her towards the kitchen but before they got there, the door was blocked as the Doctor slid into view. 

Jimmy clamored back. 

"Let her go!" bellowed the Doctor. 

Jimmy was quick, he took his hand off her mouth and pulled a gun out of his waistband, jamming it into her temple, to which she let out a pained squeal. "No, she's coming with me. So, you must be 'the Doctor'. I heard about you in town. Somehow, I pictured you bigger, and dressed. "

The Doctor held up a hand. "You need to let her go. "

"No way, Doctor, you see, Rose and me, we have things to do. I've missed my wife. "

"She's not your wife."

Jimmy laughed sardonically. "Details. You see, Rose had me put away. I have plans for her. So just let me pass and we will leave. " He pushed Rose a step closer to the Doctor but still held her in a vice hold. 

"Jimmy, you have no claim on her, just let her go and we'll forget about all of this. Just let her go."

Jimmy pushed the muzzle of the gun against her head again. She whined again as a trickle of blood flowed down the side of her head. 

The Doctor stepped back, his voice switching from aggressive to lower. No less menacing, but less fierce. "Jimmy, I know you think that she’s still yours, but she’s not, she's moved on and you need to let that happen. "

"Who's is she? is she yours?"

"She's no one's."

"Do you think I didn't hear you? Shagging on the couch like animals? It was discussing really. Rose should have known better. But she always was a lazy shag. Never wanting to do everything I wanted."

"Jimmy, let her go, we can work through this. I can help you."

Jimmy stiffened. "I don't need the help of the man-slut my wife is fucking. No, Rose needs me. She needs a man that can guide her, tell her what is what. Now let us by."

"No," the Doctor said simply. The single word held more weight than Rose had ever heard. It was if hundreds of years of assurance and confidence were packed into it. She shivered, and Jimmy held her impossibly tight, the barrel of the gun biting into her skin. The Doctor held out his hand as if to show Jimmy that he had to stop, like the gesture would halt him on its own. 

Jimmy shook his head. "No, yourself! You have no control here. This is not about you. This is about my wife and me. You need to let us pass. 

"Jimmy, be reasonable. Rose is not yours-"

"Be reasonable?" Jimmy broke in. "Are you fucking kidding me? This bitch told lies and got me sent away. Oh no, I'm not done with her. Get out of the FUCKING WAY!"

The Doctor didn't move. "Jimmy, this is crazy, just let her go. I'm not going anywhere, and neither is she."

"That's ENOUGH!" Jimmy screamed, He turned the gun from Rose's head to the Doctor, whose other hand went up in a placating gesture. 

The Doctor took a step forward. 

Time stopped. There was a blast, Rose screamed, but she wasn't the only one. The Doctor screamed too, a pink mist on the wall behind him. He fell to his knees and screamed again, falling to his side, hands clutched to his chest. Rose tried to run to him, but Jimmy pressed the barrel of the gun to her head again. It was hot and burned her skin. She didn't have time to even react before he pushed her painfully out of the mudroom into the kitchen. They were almost to the front door right by the stairs when the phone on the wall started to ring. In the silence after the shot, the ringing felt like they were in a bell tower. The surprise made Jimmy loosen his grip ever so much and Rose elbowed him in the ribs. He pitched forward, and she dove to the side, landing on the stairs. 

She scrambled to her feet and up the stairs, blindly trying to get away. In her panic she just wanted space between them. When she got to the landing, he was hot on her tail. She took off, but he grabbed her hood, yanking her back. She forced herself forward again, landing on a door. It was the door to the “Failure Room”, and she flung it open. 

She ran in, its darkness enveloping her. She crashed into something, or somethings, her hand falling painfully across something sharp. She picked it up. It was one of the broken spears she had seen in there before. She wheeled around only in time for Jimmy to turn on the lights. The instant brightness stunned her, giving him the chance to lunge. She recovered just in time to plunge the spear end into his right bicep, causing him to howl. That gave her the chance to back up. She stopped when she hit something hard and rough. The rhinoceros. 

Jimmy ripped the spear from his arm and held it out, his own blood dripping onto his hand. He still held the gun and it was on her. 

"You little bitch," he spat. “You'll pay for that. In fact, you'll pay for all of this. How did you think you'd ever get away? "

Rose felt the spike of the horn and skirted it, then started to back up. Jimmy was on her instantly, dropping the spear and grabbing her by the collar of the shirt. His blood was dripping on her, but he held her up to his face. "You deserve this," he said, cold. His right hand came up and he pistol whipped her. She collapsed but he had a hold of her. He turned and walked back, slamming her on the wall. Her head hit with a crack. 

Rose saw stars, but he slammed her again, and then two more times. Rose’s vision started to dim. 

"You’ll die for this!" he screamed in her face. Then he took a step back, kicked out her legs from under her, picked her up with a strength she didn't know he had, and slammed her into the ground. There was a crack and a rush of pain as her wrist contacted the floor and she landed on top of it. She, in turn, let out a whine. That was all she could muster. 

There was a noise at the door to the room and something caught her attention behind him. Then into the room like two fur bullets, came the dogs. They were barking and hit Jimmy with all they had. Even being puppies, they hit him hard, knocking him off balance and taking his attention off Rose. Behind them came the Doctor. He was covered in blood too, his face and chest, but Rose couldn’t see where it came from. 

He advanced on Jimmy, his eyes on fire. Rage flowed through him and his face was set in stone. Jimmy held out the gun, but this time when he fired it missed its mark. The Doctor howled in rage, advancing, positioning himself between Jimmy and Rose. Jimmy was only about a foot from them and raised the gun again, now aiming at the Doctor's chest, but in one swipe the Doctor knocked the gun to the side, when it fired, the bullet hit the wall, then the gun skittered across the floor. 

"I gave you a chance! " the Doctor bellowed, putting his hands on Jimmy's shoulders and pressing him back. The men both stumbled, and there was a piercing scream, the Doctor falling to the side. 

Rose blinked. The dogs were still barking, but there was no human noise. Her eyes left the Doctor and landed on Jimmy. He wore an alarmed expression, but it looked tattooed on. Blood gushed from his chest and he didn't move. She blinked, focusing. Then she saw. Jimmy was impaled on the horn of the rhino. 

A second later the Doctor was at her side. "Rose, I'm so sorry." He was looking at her with wide eyed fear. 

"'S OK. Don't-"

"Don't talk. Just rest." he whispered, as if full volume would hurt her more. “I’m so sorry.”

"Jimmy? What happened?" she asked even though she knew. 

"He's dead. But I need you to relax. Jack and Martha are on the way. Just rest for now. I'm so sorry."

Held in the Doctor's arms, Rose relaxed. She wanted to tell him not to be sorry, but she couldn't. The encroaching blackness threatened again, and she let it come. 

OoOo

Time was blurry for Rose following that. The remembered Jack and Martha running in, then hands on her, being lifted to a strong chest. It wasn't the Doctor's smell though. It must have been Jack. Then a helicopter ride, but not a long one, or at least she didn't think it was long. Then she was at a hospital, but it was much louder than the one the Doctor had been in. 

The Doctor was there with her but then he was gone. There was a lot that happened. A lot of people talked to her, there were x-rays and CT scans. She drifted in and out, but she wanted the Doctor.

OoOo

After Jimmy shot the Doctor, he had howled in pain, the bullet going completely through his left hand. Then he fell to his knees clutching his hand. Landing on his bad knee was also excruciating and he had yelled out again. He had heard the phone ring too. Recovering somewhat, he staggered up and went to the kitchen phone. He didn't even let Sarah Jane talk, just blurting that he needed help. He knew that Jack wasn't far. He and Martha had business in London. The serendipitous part was that they were indeed very close. They were actually returning to base and had been only 20 miles away, a stone’s throw for the powerful ship.

The dogs were going crazy in their kennels and the Doctor stumbled over to them, letting them free, recovering enough to follow them. What he found unleashed a rage that he had not felt in a very, very long time. Jimmy was over Rose, clearly beating her. But those pups got him off her. 

By the time he got in, there were no choices left. Jimmy was going to kill either him or Rose. He didn't mind if it was him, but there was no way he was going to take that beautiful girl. Jimmy had fired again, and the Doctor had hit the gun out of his hand. He hadn't intended on killing Jimmy. He never did. But he had to stop him. It was too late that it occurred to him that the rhino was behind him. The horn was driving into Jimmy and the Doctor only jumped away at the last second. He was close enough that he was grazed by the horn. 

Then he made it to Rose. She was having difficulty staying conscious. He didn’t even hear the helicopter land. Before he knew it, Jack was lifting his precious Rose into his arms. 

The Doctor had boarded the helicopter without even realizing that he was still only in his pants. Once at the hospital, a normal hospital, scrubs were provided to him by a smirking Martha. Rose had been whisked off for testing

As it was, the Doctor had his hand bandaged while enroute to the hospital. Imaging revealed that the bullet had not done any serious damage. It had managed to go between the bones. He had minor muscle damage, but nothing that required surgery. Now Martha and The Doctor sat in the room that Rose was supposed to be in, but she was off at x-ray. Martha shook her head in amazement. "You are the luckiest bloke on the planet, Doctor. "

'No, not at all, " the Doctor replied, hanging his head. 

"Explain." Martha countered. 

"I let that guy get at Rose. I should have anticipated him. I mean he was IN MY HOUSE! I didn't even know. "

"Oh, stop killing yourself over something that was out of your hands. I mean, did you even know he was around? How could you have anticipated it?"

"I let my guard down. I was centered on... something... and I didn't catch the little clues. There was a draft. There is never a draft in that house. I have it insulated every inch. Air doesn't move in there unless I let it. Then the dogs were acting weird. I lost focus and missed it all, and I almost lost Rose because of it."

"You mean you were being human, and you let yourself be distracted by a beautiful woman? Normally in normal lives with normal people, that would be totally OK. You just happen to be in a crazy situation. Rose probably had no idea either. It happens. But it came out OK."

"It's not OK. I failed her. I should have protected her. I can't handle losing someone else because of my stupidity."

"You and I both know that you are far from stupid."

The Doctor stood. "You don't get it. Rose has had a terrible time. Someone hurt her deeply, so deeply that she made her living in a job where she hid all the time. That's how she came to me. But she felt safe here. I mean at the house. I saw her open up and embrace it all. But then he came, and I let him. I can never forgive myself for letting that happen. I should have never let him get to her. Better yet, I should have found him and stopped him before he even had a chance. She knew he was coming for her, I could have stopped it before he tried. But no, I had to get wrapped up in all this, in her. Rookie mistake.” His head dipped, and he shook it sorrowfully. "I don't know what I'll do if she leaves. I mean, the man that was trying to kill her is gone, but the one she trusted let her down. It'll be a miracle if she doesn't bolt for home. But it also wouldn’t surprise me if she left. She's free now, why stay cooped up with an old, cranky man who can't protect her? " He let his head fall into his hands. 

He breathed a few ragged breaths and continued. “I can’t believe I fucked this up. She was so perfect. But it’s what I deserve. I don’t deserve to have someone so incredible in my life. Every time I have it all put together, I screw it up by not paying attention. I can’t handle any more blood on my hands of someone I… love. I was stupid to let her in, and then too ignorant to keep her safe. She’s going to walk out of my life now and it’s totally my fault.”

He stood then, walking towards the door. 

“Why are you leaving?” Martha blurted after him.

“I need to go clean up after all this. And when she gets back, she doesn’t need to see me here. I’m sure she won’t want to either.”

“You don’t know that,” Martha answered. 

“I do know that. It’s one of the few things I do know.”

Martha was formulating a response when there was knock on the doorframe. 

"Doctor?" Sarah Jane stood in the doorway. 

"Is something wrong?" he asked. 

"How is Rose?" she asked rather than answering him. 

Martha answered. "She looks OK, they are taking a CT to be sure. I think she broke her wrist though. We'll know soon. "

"Why are you here?" the Doctor asked Sarah Jane. 

She gave him a strange look. "Do you remember how you got ahold of me? So I could get Martha and Jack?"

The Doctor stared at her for a beat then his eyes widened. "Oh, you had called. I told you what was happening. But you called me. "

"I did."

"And you have a mission for me."

"I do."

Martha spoke up. "Sarah Jane, he's just been shot. He's not even recovered from his knee injury. I don't advise it."

Sarah sighed and came into the room. She took a seat on a chair facing them. "I wouldn't ask, but it's the island. We thought that in taking out who you did, we ended the problem. We didn't. As soon as the original pirates were out of the picture, another band moved in. They are worse though, if that is possible. They drove the villagers into the jungle, burned their huts and killed some of them. And they are not using the island as a waypoint. They set up a base there. Incidents of piracy in the area have increased 100%. They are well equipped and well-staffed. The villagers are hiding in the jungle for now, but we need to get the pirates out and help them rebuild. 

"I can't do that by myself," the Doctor offered. "I mean now in my present condition. Plus, it sounds like this will be a major operation. "

"That's why we already have boots on the ground. Agents 10 and 11 are already there. They have contacted the villagers and seen to their care. Thirteen is on her way there. You will be next if you can. We have ATVs to use so you won't have to walk in. The denseness of the jungle completely mutes the noise of the motors. You need to go now though."

“My house. There’s a body. I need to talk to the police. We- I have dogs”

Martha spoke up. “Doctor, I locked the door to where the body is, so the dogs can’t get in, before I left. I ran through the house before we lifted to double check everything. You had water running in your room. I turned that off too.” 

The Doctor winced at the memory of why the water was on.

Sarah Jane spoke then. “Mickey has been called to take care of the animals, like usual he will be there in the morning. Now on the other matter, this man, the one that is dead, he was convicted of harming Rose, right?”

“Yes, he nearly killed her years ago.”

“And he came to kill her, at your house tonight, right?”

“Yes, I believe so.” The Doctor was pacing, his jaw tightening with every reference to Rose or the incident. 

“And you killed him instead,” she said quietly.

“Accidently, yes,” he answered. 

“Yes, Jack told me. I have a clean up crew on the way. They will make a story, that is their job. This man will have had an ‘accident’ on the road leading to your property, but miles from it. My crew is excellent. There will be no questions. Some good Samaritan will find him and call the authorities. You will not be implicated at all. Will that suit you?”

The Doctor took a deep breath. “I wish this had never happened, but yes. It’s just faster closure. Having local law enforcement there at the house will only prolong the situation. I suppose we could just make the body disappear instead, though.”

“Disappearances breed questions. But a scumbag losing control on a dirt road and hitting a tree will not. Especially if you were not home when it happened.”

“He was impaled.” The Doctor said, coolly. 

“Tree branch or fence pole. Do you think we are amateurs?”

“Sorry.” He stopped pacing for moment and looked at her. “But the rhino, it has blood all over it. If anyone comes to the house and sees it…”

“The rhino will be bleached to remove any evidence then removed and incinerated. The room will be thoroughly cleaned, as well as any blood from you getting shot or drips on the floor anywhere else in the house. There will be no evidence. It will all be done and pristine before Mickey arrives in the morning.”

“Very well. I hate that it has to happen but thank you for going to the trouble.”

"That’s what we do Doctor, we take care of things. Now in the matter of your clothes and gear, we will completely outfit you when we stop off at the base before we go to the island. Doctor, I hate to tear you away, but I need you. You know these people and this island. But you know that you can always step out a mission."

"But I never have."

"You never have. I’m sorry I have to pull you away from Rose though."

He shook his head. “Actually, your timing is good. Rose is in a better situation if I’m not here.” He gave a fleeting look to Martha. She nodded. Wordlessly he followed Sarah Jane out of the room.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy oh boy are we getting close. Just two left! Those of you who have commented on the Doctor's stupidity may want to take a deep breath before reading this. But remember in the tags I put "angst with a happy ending"? Hang onto that. Please don't kill me.

Rose was in and out of sleep throughout the process. She saw the Doctor briefly, but there was much happening. He looked sad, tinged with anger. She had remembered wanting to talk to him about it, but there wasn’t time. There had been exams and tests. Most of which he had been shooed out of the room for. Martha had stayed quietly by her side throughout though. 

After her CT she was wheeled back in the room where they promptly sedated her to set her arm. Before she went under, she noticed that the Doctor wasn't there at all. She didn't have a chance to ask. 

Now Rose was awake again and alone in the room. For the first time she had a minute to think. It wasn't easy though, she had been diagnosed with a concussion, broken right wrist and broken cheekbone from being pistol whipped. She was glad there wasn't a mirror in the room. Beyond that, she was just tired, very tired. 

The day had been so good, though she supposed that it was a new day now. She blushed when she thought back about the intimacy with the Doctor and how wonderful it had been. Two people, both having had way too long without a loving touch. They had fallen together, and it was wonderful. Nothing Jimmy could have possibly done could have erased it. It was too important. 

But the Doctor's face while he watched her be treated. His jaw was set, he was working it. She could see that even from the bed. He looked at her, but then looked away, multiple times. He didn't talk, but she would catch him assessing her then when she met his eyes, he would look away. While his jaw looked angry, his eyes looked sad, maybe lost. They weren't the intense steel blue that captured hers as he bucked into her only hours before. These were broken. 

Before she could ruminate about it anymore, Martha came in. She was blowing on a cup of tea. "Hi! Oh, good you're up. How do you feel?"

"Terrible. My head feels like it has been cracked open. But my arm is better." She now sported an open cast. It was composed of a fiberglass bottom splint wrapped in an elastic bandage. "The worst part is how tired I am. Where is the Doctor? Is he OK?"

Martha sat on the chair next to the bed. "He's ok."

"But all that blood. Jimmy shot him."

"Only in the hand. It missed everything important. He thought he hurt his knee again by falling on it, but I don't think so. "

"So, where is he?"

Martha straightened in her chair. "He had a mission."

"No way? After being shot? He's not even healed. He couldn't even ride a horse properly. "

"I know, well I didn't know about the horse. But there was trouble at the island. The pirates, well some pirates came back. They need him. He's with a team though. "

"That doesn't make me any less worried," Rose huffed. 

Martha shook her head. "Me either."

OoOoOo  
Rose stayed at the hospital for another day under observation. Martha had spoken to the attending physician and it was decided this was better for her since she had been unconscious and may not have proper observation at home. Martha had to go too but promised to return when she was discharged. 

This left Rose alone for a full day. She thought about calling her mum but knew that if she saw her in hospital and heard how Jimmy had found out she might lose it entirely. No, that conversation was better served in her living room. But being alone was not Rose’s friend. She couldn’t stop thinking about the Doctor and his expressions while he was in her room. He didn’t even touch her. There were times when he could have been at her side, holding her hand, but no, he kept his distance. Thinking back, he hadn’t even spoken with her. Of course, she was still fuzzy about the first day, but no matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t recall any interactions. That made the hospital room lonelier if it was possible. 

Finally, on the third day, Martha came to take her home. Rose was ready when her friend came in. She was up, brushing her teeth when Martha entered. 

Martha eyed her carefully. "Are you OK?"

"Yes, get me out of here." Rose said after rinsing her mouth. 

"Where am I taking you?" Martha asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Rose furrowed her brows, which made her wince when it tugged on the stiches on the side of her forehead. "What do you mean? Just take me home. "

"Which home?" Martha insisted.

Rose crossed her arms. "Why are you asking? I only have one. You know, the one isolated in the woods. The one with no Wi-Fi." She smiled a little smile while examining Martha's expression.

Martha motioned for her to sit again so she climbed back onto the bed. "The Doctor was concerned that now that Jimmy is gone you may want to go home-home, you know, back to London. He thought that now that you are safe, you didn’t want to be at… his home…anymore."

Rose leaned back on the bed. "Why would he think that?"

"I don't know. Well I do, but it's not my business. Suffice it to say that he's struggling with what happened. "

"It wasn’t his fault."

"That is an opinion that is not shared by the two of you."

"How could he think it was his fault?"

"Not my story. But knowing him as I do, I could imagine that he feels protective of you. Maybe more." Rose blushed, Marth continued. "When something happened to you, and he was there, he probably thought that it was his fault that Jimmy got to you. Maybe that he thought he should have figured out that he was there sooner, something that would have kept this from happening to you. But I’m just speculating. "

"I don’t think you’re speculating at all. He thinks it’s his fault? That's bull! Neither of us knew it. But I guess I'll have to convince him. Where is he, anyway? Is he still on the island?”

"I think so, we haven't heard anything. At least I haven't. I mean if they thought I needed to be back at the hospital I would be there, but Sarah Jane sent me here. I'm to take you home and get you settled. Are you ready?"

"Yes, please I can’t stay here another night."  
OoOoOo  
Instead of another helicopter ride, Martha had an SUV to take her home. Jack had flown them to the nearest hospital, which had been in London. Martha had brought clothes for Rose, they were hers but laundered, and Rose was overjoyed to lose the hospital gown but sad when they had to cut the seam on her hoodie to accommodate her splint. 

On the way they didn’t talk about the Doctor anymore, mostly because Martha wasn’t willing to give up any more information. 

Before they left London, they stopped off at Rose’s mum’s flat, which led to a very awkward conversation about why Rose didn't call to tell her what happened, and why she was going back to the Doctor's house. 

Martha stepped out, feigning needing to make a call while Jackie and Rose talked. The gist of what she got before stepping out was that Rose wanted to stay, she liked her job, but could come back now for holidays and such, the threat gone. When Martha came back in, Jackie was weeping, apologizing. It seems that Rose had finally gotten to the part where Jackie asked how Jimmy found her. That led to even more awkward moments. 

Jackie asked them to stay for dinner, but it was getting late and they had to travel. So, with hugs and kisses, for Martha too, they left. 

Hours later they got into the little town. Rose was dosing in the seat and just waking when Martha stopped at the market for food and supplies. She convinced Rose to just rest while she went in. 

Back at the manor house they unpacked and let the dogs out. They were crazy happy to see her, so much so that once she pet them for a while, they had to let them outside to run off their energy. Mickey had left them crated but it looked like they had only been inside for a few hours. Next, Martha helped Rose cover her arm splint to take a shower. Then they had dinner. Martha had bought some easily prepared salads and roast chicken. Then they settled in the living room, both dogs physically on Rose. Their closeness and happiness allowing her to truly smile for the first time since the accident. 

Rose also loved having her new friend there to help. Once there, Martha used the "Batphone" to check in with Sarah Jane, who gave orders for Martha to stay for a few more days to make sure Rose was OK. 

The morning after they arrived, Mickey came by to help. He insisted on doing all the chores, even though Rose was trying to help. She noticed, though, the instant attraction between her two friends. It didn’t take long for them to start talking, before she knew it, Mickey was invited to dinner with them that night and he accepted. Rose even faked being tired to leave them for a kip. Neither of them protested her leaving. 

That evening, over dinner Mickey asked if they had heard anything about someone crashing a car on the road near the house. It had been on a hairpin turn that everyone thought was dangerous, and whoever the driver was must have been going too fast, slid off the road, through a metal fence and impacted a tree. He had been impaled. Rose shot a look to Martha, who smiled sweetly at Mickey, saying they hadn’t heard anything. Then she nodded ever so slightly at Rose. 

Rose nodded back. She hadn’t been back in the “Failure Room” since the incident, not yet at least. But she assumed Sarah Jane had taken care of it. Apparently, she had. 

Each day Rose hoped the Doctor would be back. Martha had no new news even though she had used the phone to call Sarah Jane a few times. With each day that he wasn’t there, it felt like the misunderstanding between them was getting bigger. All she wanted to do was talk to him and make sure he knew it wasn't his fault, and that they were OK. In the mean time she was increasingly worried about what his mind may be making up. 

After three days, Martha gave Rose a full physical. When they had come in after her release, Martha had brought in her big bag that she had for exams and treatments, but it had never come out, until now. 

"Rose, I can't imagine you'll be very happy with me, but now that the swelling is down, I need to put a cast on hour arm for the remaining time. I would put a removable brace on it, but it was a bad break and needs to not move for a few weeks, well about seven more to be exact.”

Rose frowned and huffed out a breath. "You're the doctor." They both smiled at that. 

"The good news is that..." she rummaged through her bag," I brought hot pink!" She triumphantly held up a foil bag containing the casting material.

"You’re forgiven!" Rose gushed.

Two hours and a bright pink cast later, Martha left. It would have been just an hour, but Mickey came by. Rose was also pretty sure that the two of them made plans to have dinner that night, but neither said anything to her. They deserved it, she thought. If she would have gone with them, she would be a third wheel. Then it was agreed that Mickey would come by once a day to help until Rose could do everything on her own again. 

OoOoOo

Summer was coming, and in the Doctor’s continued absence, Rose had taken the chance to plant flowers, though with some difficulty, with questionable amounts of dirt making its way into her cast. Her vegetables were growing, thanks to her automatic water system, even so much as she had to take some into town to give away at Mickey's vet office when she made a trip to town. She saved what she could, preserving and freezing, but it was far too much for one person to consume, even after saving it. 

To stave off the boredom, Rose had taken to taking long horse rides or walks in the woods, always accompanied by her happy, furry shadows. She even got the nerve to ride Midnight, quickly learning that that horse liked to run- fast. But that, itself, was liberating. 

It had been a week since getting back that she first ventured out. The bruising in her cheek had subsided enough to cover it with makeup, and she was otherwise looking back to normal, save the cast. It was also nice to see people again. She met Mickey for lunch, hearing that he and Martha had been making video calls daily and planned to meet in London in June. This made Rose happy. It was nice to see people who wanted to be together. Mickey had even helped her pick out flowers and soil, but wouldn’t let her take them home, instead insisting on bringing them when he came out later. 

Throughout her activities, something was always in the back of her mind, she never stopped thinking, wondering about the Doctor. She thought about where he was, worried about if he was injured or worse. Also, she thought about how she would explain that what happened was not his fault. But he needed to be home to do that. And he wasn’t there was no word. She was completely in the dark about him. When Rose was in town, she even called Martha again, trying to get word. Martha swore that she would have Sarah Jane call the house phone if anything happened. 

Ten days after Martha left, and over two weeks since the incident with Jimmy, Rose sat in the kitchen with a mug of tea. She had gotten up that morning and showered, but hadn't put on makeup to cover her bruises, it wasn't needed at home. They had faded significantly and were now only slightly green/yellow shadows under her cheekbone. Her stitches had come out, thanks to a physician in town, leaving a pink scar below her hairline. Then she put her hair in a clumsy ponytail, the only kind that happened due to her current lack of dexterity. 

It was raining out, and after getting wet with her morning chores, she sat and was warming herself with her tea when she heard the front door open. Then then sound of boots. More correctly, the sound of a limping gait and boots. The dogs barked and ran to the door but stopped barking immediately, running happily back to Rose. Behind them was the Doctor. He wore a black coat, much like what he had when he went on his other mission. He had the hood up, shading his face. He also had a duffle bag over his shoulder and what looked like a plastic grocery bag in his hand. But he wasn't looking at her. 

He set the bags down on the counter and pushed back the hood, then unzipped and shook himself out of the coat. 

Finally, he turned to her. Rose looked him up and down. His face was wet with rain, beyond that, he had a black eye and scratches on his face. His blue eyes raked over her too, and she heard him let out a breath, a sigh, through his nose. 

Neither of them spoke, their eyes evaluating each other. Max and Ruby were going crazy between them, happy as they could possibly be that both of their people were home. The Doctor idly reached down to pet one of them. Rose didn't see which. 

At long last, the Doctor's eyes settled on hers. "I didn't know if you would be here," he said, voice tired. 

"Where else would I be?" she asked back. 

He rubbed his face, causing a smudge of dirt to appear on his right cheek. "I just thought that... I don't know... I thought that you maybe would go home, back to London. There's no reason for you to hide now. "

Rose took her time, and a sip of her tea. "There may not be a reason to hide anymore, but I have a job. My job is here."

He winced, but then his face hardened. He worked his jaw, but his eyes widened a little. 

Rose knew exactly what she had done as soon as the words left her mouth. They had made love, and she had just made it sound like it never happened, like they were just employer and employee. "I mean-“ she started.

"I get it," he finished, grabbing his bags and stomping out of the kitchen. 

"Wait, Doctor!" she scrambled up, grabbing his arm. When she did, the plastic bag he was holding swung loose and she caught it, glancing inside. 

He tried to grab it away, but she turned. "What is this?" she demanded.

"It's none of your business," he countered, trying again. 

"Why do you have a metal rose?" she asked, now extracting it from the bag. "Where were you going with this?"

She thought he may swipe at it again, but he didn't. Instead he stepped back and dipped his head. 

Rose knew. "This was for the "Failure Room" wasn't it? How am I a failure?"

His head shot up. "You're not." He sighed deeply. "The things in that room represent my failures. Things I didn't do or fucked up." He stopped abruptly. Rose expected him to go on, but he didn't. 

She softened. "You didn't fail. Jimmy's gone."

He didn't answer. His jaw ticked. They stood in silence. Finally, he spoke. "He could have killed you."

"But he didn't. This time someone stopped him. He can't hurt anyone anymore. Thank you for saving me. " She looked up into his eyes, trying to capture his. But his were still darting around the room. "Doctor," she said quietly, "come with me." 

She took his hand and he reluctantly came with her 

She led him up the stairs. As they neared his bedroom, he slowed, tugging back a little. But she stopped too, in front of the "Failure Room." Without hesitation she opened the door and pushed it wide, pulling him in and flipping on the lights. The room was the same as it had been days before, but before Jimmy. Except now the rhino was gone. But it was cleaned entirely. Rose turned to him questioningly.

He gave her a knowing look. "Sarah Jane sent in a cleaning crew. They took the rhino. "

She nodded. "Does everything in here represent a mission?"

He breathed out. "Mostly. "

"What constitutes a failure in your book?" she asked, wandering in, letting his hand go. 

He looked at the hand she had been holding and flexed it, then stuffed it in a pocket. "When I wasn't fast enough, clever enough, strong enough or not where I needed to be, and something happened, someone got hurt, or the bad guys won. "

"But Jimmy didn't win."

"But you got hurt."

"I recovered. I came back. I'm here."

"You could have died."

"I didn't."

She walked back up to him and took both his hands. "You didn't fail me. You came in just at the right time. You saved me. I think you need to narrow your definition of failure. I'm not one of them. " She leaned closer to him.

His head dipped closer to her. He gave an infinitesimal shake. "I should have known. It's inexcusable."

"No, it's not. " She pushed up on her tip toes to get closer. 

They were inches apart. Rose felt him stiffen. As she leaned even closer, he abruptly turned his head. "Don't reward me for my stupidity." he snapped, stepping back. "I keep this room to remind myself that I need to do better." His voice was rising. He turned to her, eyes now raging. "I let down everyone I get close to. Everyone I want in my life goes away because I'm not good enough. This,” he waived his arm to indicate the room "This is proof. This is why I can't have anyone. I can't get it right! I'm a failure, can't you see that?" Tears flowed down his cheeks, but his voice never wavered. 

"You're n-" she started.

"Don't tell me that! You can see it. Why do you think I want to help people? It's to undo what I did in the beginning. To pay back for even a sliver of the damage caused. I hurt and killed and maimed. Then I lost all that I had. I don't deserve love, Rose. I don't deserve you. I was weak and let us be together. I let you in and I shouldn't have. It's not worth it. "

"I'm not worth it?"

"No. I'll just hurt you too. It's not worth my effort. I'll just fuck up and you'll be gone. You're better off somewhere else with someone else. "

Rose was too stunned to speak. She stood there not moving. But then she did. Out the door, without another word. 

Inside the room, the Doctor hung his head. 

Then Rose came back. "You're wrong. "

He raised his head. 

"You're wrong about three things," she continued. "You’re wrong that I'm better off somewhere else. Need I remind you that I chose to come back here, to you. I could have gone home, but instead I decided to stay here. We were building something, Doctor. You may not have seen it, but I did. It was more than intimacy, I wanted to be here, to be with you. Yes, Jimmy was a horrible person that I had to hide from, but he's gone. And you know what? Some of my first thoughts were about getting back to you. Not hiding, not going home, but getting back to you. "

"Secondly, you're wrong that you’re a failure. Maybe everything didn't go to plan, maybe people died, but also people lived. People that would have been oppressed or died, lived because of you. There are people on this planet that owe you a debt of gratitude. There are children that have parents, people who have lived to teach those children. You may have thought that you failed, but by trying , caring to try to save them, you helped. No one else would help them and you did. Yeah, it didn't all go your way, but whatever does? But all this stuff led you to be the man you are and led me to you. 

He shook his head. But before he could answer, Rose spoke again. "You're also wrong that you owe the world something. I get it that in your old job you did bad things. I also get that you feel like a horrible person for your wife and daughter being killed. But you needn't pay back the world. Not for eternity like you think. You're a good man." 

He scoffed.

"I can tell that you are a good man because of how you treat me, how you want to help and how you give of yourself. You also deserve something good. You deserve a fulfilling relationship. You deserve to have happy things happen. You can't live in an eternal black cloud. You have to see the sun periodically. You're a good man," she repeated. "I'm glad I know you. Please think about that." She took a few steps to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Then she moved closer and put a soft kiss on his cheek. 

Then she left the room. This time she let him be.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here we are! Thank you for taking this journey with me. This chapter has more smut in it.   
> I have another Nine-Rose one I'm currently in an epic battle with. But it won't be long.  
> Thanks again for all your kind words, and we'll catch ya on the next one!

Rose busied herself in the greenhouses and outside for the rest of the day. It was still raining off and on. She had work to do though, she needed to see to the fungus that wanted to grow on her zucchini leaves, as well as caring for the animals that as of late had been more complicated. Specifically, the goats had given birth and Rose needed to make sure the kids didn't get stuck in the mud. While she was in the barn, but with the goats, snuggling a kid, she heard the Doctor come in and saddle Midnight. 

This time he didn't ask her to ride. He took off just as it started to rain again. Hours later, when Rose took the dogs in for a bath to hopefully get some of the mud off them, he hadn't come back.

Pushing down the worry at him possibly being injured or stuck in the rain and mud, Rose bathed the dogs, kenneled them and started on dinner. She put in a CD on the stereo, playing a silly mix of boy bands and pop hits, then proceeded to bop around the kitchen. It felt good to move and lifted, just somewhat, the black cloud that the Doctor’s mood had put over the house. It did feel odd to do it in the wake of his recent behavior but knowing that there wasn’t anything she could do had left her feeling helpless, and that was a feeling she didn’t like, hence the N’Sync music. 

She made spaghetti, salad and bread., thinking he may come to his senses and come back. But after she was done, he still wasn't back, so she ate alone. 

She was hoping that his ride would allow him to clear his mind, but it didn't seem like that was the case. 

It was dark, and she was cleaning up before she heard the back door open. In came the Doctor, soaked to the bone and muddy. His face still wore a scowl. He shrugged off his jacket and toed off his boots, putting both in the mud room. 

Rose was at the sink, a plastic sleeve that Martha provided over her cast, not doing a very good job of ignoring him, but she was facing away. 

Suddenly she felt a presence behind her, Very close. She tried not to flinch. His mouth was right by her ear, she could even feel is breath. "Did you mean what you said?" he asked, nearly whispering. 

She whispered back, "I always mean what I say. But you'll have to be more specific. "

He moved millimeters closer. "That you think I'm a good man. And that you think we have something. "

Rose turned. He was so close to her that he had to take a half step away to accommodate. 

"Yes, to both,” she answered. 

"You're not afraid that I will do something to hurt you?" His eyes bored into hers, pinning her with the cold blue. 

"You may, but that's what relationships are about. I know you won't physically hurt me, but you may be a twat from time to time, that is to be expected." She gave him a tongue touched smile. 

His scowl held for exactly 2 more seconds before the edges of his mouth started to climb upward. She encouraged him by smiling bigger. His eyes softened, and he blinked. 

"I'll most certainly be a twat," he said his voice now with a hint of humor. "And I still will need to go out and help people. It's hard wired now. But as long as you are here, I'll have something to hurry home to."

Rose placed her hands on his shoulders. "Or maybe I could come with."

His eyes widened. "That we'll have to negotiate." 

Rose move closer to him. "I'll negotiate, but you should know I play dirty."

He stared down at her, and Rose could feel heat building between them. She hitched a breath but at that same moment he took a step back. Rose swallowed, quickly looking down. She cleared her throat. "Are you hungry? I made you a plate.” 

He swallowed also, his eyes now looking around the kitchen. "Yeah, I'm actually starving."

Rose warmed the plate and set it out in front of him at the kitchen table. Along with a glass of water and one of wine. He dug in and she sat across from him, sipping wine herself. After a good few minutes of eating, he stopped and sat back, eyes now on her searching her. 

"What? she asked.

He half smiled. "Midnight and I had a talk."

"Oh? I didn't take him for much of a talker."

"He’s been around for a while. As you might have gathered, I ride him when I am thinking through something. Being out there, his speed, his agility, helps me work through things. I got him right after my wife and daughter were killed."

Rose looked at him anticipating sorrow, but there was none. His eyes were just as bright as they had been. If anything, he looked calm, like retelling a story. There was no trace of the profound sadness he usually had when he talked about them. but more a wistfulness. That was very encouraging to Rose. 

"And he helped you get through it?"

"In a way. I felt like I could breathe again. When I returned home after everything, I was in town getting supplies and was contacted by the veterinarian. Midnight had been abused by his former owner because he was so spirited. He knew I had Buttercup and the others, and he asked me if I could let him be in my pasture just to run. Midnight wouldn’t have bothered the other horses, but he figured the letting him be free would be good for him. "

"Did you ride Buttercup before?"

He laughed. "Occasionally. She was my daughter's. They did well together since she’s so gentle. "

Rose thought about it a little. He had given her his daughter's horse to ride. He hadn't had to, but he did. 

"And Wilf was there for all that?"

"Yeah, after Jenny and Romana died, I fired all of the staff. We had maids and nannies and grounds keepers. He insisted on staying. I was prepared to let him go to, but he stood right over there-” He motioned to the entrance to the living room. “-and crossed his arms and said he wasn’t leaving. I wasn’t in the mood to fight him, so I let him stay. It was just he and I for a while until you got here. And you know the rest of the story."

"Sarah Jane said that Wilf went with you... when you worked,” she ventured. 

He sat back, setting his silverware on his plate. "Yeah, but not really. It was more like tagging along for recon. He was-is a great observer. He can read people. I could set him in a park or cafe and he would tell me about everyone in there. Something about an old gent makes people comfortable. They would tell him all sorts of things. He was never in danger though, I saw to that."

Rose collected his plate. He had already drained the water glass but was now sipping on the wine. He seemed to be in thought again. 

She went to the sink and cleaned up and was sliding her cast out of the plastic cover when she heard him take a breath behind her. "Rose?"

"Hmm?"

"So, you're gonna stay?"

"Yes. I told you. There is really nothing for me in London. I mean I could get a job, but I have a job. And... well you're here. I love… it here. The animals, my garden, and I like being here with you. If I went back to London, I would lose all that. I'm happy here. Why leave?"

"You're happy here? You mean in this big old house, with no internet, no phones, except that you so annoyingly call the 'bat phone'." He slid out of his seat and stood close to her. 

Rose chuckled. "Yes, there’s no question."

"But after all that happened, with Jimmy. How can you want to be here, with me?"

She was still facing the sink, fiddling with a towel. "That's easy. Things could not be any more different. When I was with him, I was really a kid. Just 18. Things went bad, but I was too young to see it. But then when I finally got out, I was over it. I harbored no love for him, in fact I don't think I was in love with him ever really. He was just a cool guy that was so intense. I got caught in his undertow. But in the time I spent when he was in prison, then running from him, I grew. I became a different Rose. A stronger one. One that did not need a boyfriend to worship, I needed someone who I could be around and be comfortable. Also, someone who values me as a person."

His hands slipped to her waist. "I value you as a person, you know that, right?"

"I do." She leaned back into him. His lips brushed her ear, and she sighed. 

"I'm not easy to be with," he whispered in her ear, "I'm moody and possessive. I also need time to myself. "

"All those things I've witnessed. You are also caring, chivalrous and sweet. You only see the bad things, I see all the things. "

His lips ghosted across her ear, making her shiver. His hands wrapped around her chest and he pulled her to him. Rose twisted to face him, finding his head lowered. She raised hers and landed a kiss on his lips. It was chaste but there was no recovery. His lips were back on hers in a second. Soon her hands were on his head, lightly scratching his scalp. She didn't so as well with her casted arm, but he didn't seem to care. He groaned and asked entry with his tongue, which she granted. 

They stood there, intertwined, tongues exploring him holding her tight. She pressed harder to him, rubbing up against him. His pressed back, his hardness hitting her belly. He groaned again. 

At length, he broke away. "Is this happening?"

She straightened her shirt, that he had caused to go askew. "I hope so."

"In a bed this time?" he asked.

"Yeah." 

He took her hand and led her up the stairs to his room. 

Rose hadn't been in there before, save from looking in the door. It was decorated in "man chic". Dark, rich colors, a huge oak bed with Navy blue sheets and duvet. The bed covers were pulled back and Rose wondered if it had been that way since the night Jimmy came. The Doctor hadn’t been home since then. She got chills thinking about it. 

The Doctor turned, fixing her with a warm smile. He pulled her to him, wrapping her in a hug, dropping kisses on her neck. His hands strayed down to her waist, but then lightly took the hem of her hoodie lifting it above her head. All she wore under it was a sports bra.

She laughed. "Sorry, I dressed for work today, not for sexy." 

Her hands still in the sleeves, he ravaged her chest. Kissing and nipping on the soft skin. Rose was trapped in her sleeves and she struggled. This time he laughed, took a step back and helped her maneuver her sleeve over her cast. When she was free, he took a few steps toward her, forcing her back. She took the chance and reached for the button of his pants. She didn't get far though, as he was pulling up her bra, carefully freeing her breasts and kissing between them as he pulled the garment over her head and then off her arms. 

Her breasts now bare, he growled, taking one in his mouth and one in his hand. Rose arched to him, letting out a groan of her own. 

"You need to be out of your shirt too," she breathed, pulling on the hem of his jumper. She managed to get it up mostly and he threaded one arm at a time out of it, and stopped his ministrations on her breast only momentarily to be free of it. 

Rose's hands now explored his chest and back, enjoying the hardness and toned muscles. She ran her fingers over his nipples and he popped off her breast, moaning. Then he started on her other breast. All the while taking one step at a time towards the bed. 

Rose felt her lower legs hit the bed, and nearly fell over it. But she stood her ground, her hands going to his jeans again, and undoing the button and the zip. 

He hitched a breath as she dipped her hand into the open zipper and cupped him through his pants. 

With one swoop he had her up in his arms and laid her out on the bed. Quickly he reached down and took off the knee brace he still wore. It clattered to the floor, and he then dropped his jeans, stepped out of them and climbed up in the bed next to her. 

Next, he went to work on her jeans. She gave him a hand, and shimmied out of them, tossing them off the bed. The Doctor's hand slid up her leg, feather light. He circled her knee and then started edging closer to her center. She still wore her panties but that didn't stop him. When he got to the apex of her thighs, he moved his fingers to the side of her panties, dipping his finger into her center, to her resultant cry of pleasure. 

He used his finger to massage her wet folds, touching her sensitive bud again and again, but then moving off. Each time she bucked and sighed, but he kept teasing. 

Rose reached out and started to pull down his boxer briefs. She didn't get far before her hand landed on him. He was rock hard, and she took him in her hand giving him a few pumps.

That effectively broke his concentration, his mouth falling to her neck with a loud groan. Rose rubbed him, smoothing the precum around his head. He bucked up against her, lightly biting her neck. "Rose." he whispered. 

Before he could stop her, she sat up, adjusted, and took him in her mouth. He early lost it all at that moment. He cried out sharply. But managed to steel himself as she licked up his shaft, taking the tip in her mouth and sucking hard. His hand fisted the sheets but then grabbed at her bottom. She didn’t let off though. His hand managed to move lower though, finding the center of her pleasure. She groaned around him and he shivered. His hands were eagerly tugging on her panties. She didn’t stop what she was doing but let him pull them down until he couldn’t reach anymore. Then, keeping her mouth on him in a feat of pure gymnastics, the wiggled out of them and tossed them to the side. 

He watched her progress, panting heavily. "Rose please", he begged. I need... you now. "

Rose gave him a wolfish grin and gave him a long lick before getting on her knees. "How do you want me?" she asked, her small hand still handling him. 

"Can I see you while we-"

"Yes," she answered, swinging her leg over his hips. She looked down at him and smiled again. Instead of teasing him like last time, she slowly took him in, adjusting. He hissed loudly, his hands pulling her to him, taking her breast in his mouth again. His hands went around to her bum massaging her. Then totally by surprise, he flipped her. She landed on the bed on her back and the Doctor was on top, still in her. His hand snaked between them, rubbing her clit, but he moved faster and faster, driving himself. His mouth left her breast and found her mouth, kissing her desperately. 

Rose matched him, bringing her pelvis up in time with his thrusts. Her hands kneading his bum and pulling him closer with each thrust. The Doctor didn't let up, driving into her with all he had, but soon his thrusts became less coordinated, his breathing ragged. 

Rose grabbed at his bum hard, she was close, really close. By the time he felt the rippling of her folds, hearing her shout out his name in ecstasy, he was there, thrusting once more then collapsing on her, breathing heavily. They laid there, breathing together for some time before he rolled off her. 

Rose snuggled into his side and giggled. “One of these days we need to try to take that a little slower.”

“I don’t know, if we do it fast, we can do it more.” He laughed quietly, then took a deep breath. 

Before either of them was aware of it, they both fell asleep.  
OoOoOo

Just after dawn, Rose felt the bed move and a couple of seconds later the shower turn on. She drifted back to sleep until she felt gentle kisses on her cheeks. Her eyes fluttered open. She was met be the steel blue ones of the Doctor, with a wide grin. “Good morning,” he said in between kisses. 

“Ugh, I forgot you’re a morning person,” she groused to his chuckles. She pushed him off lightly and sat up. She grimaced. “I need a shower.” 

Again, he laughed. “I’ll let the pups out and start the morning chores. You shower and start coffee. Then we’ll see where we meet up.”

“Deal.”

As it turned out, Rose was able to help feed the horses while he finished other chores. Before they knew it, they were snuggling on the couch with coffee, her leaning on his chest. 

They sat in silence, just feeling each other breathe when he sighed deeply. 

“What?” she asked

“I suppose I’ll have to hire Mickey.”

She sat up abruptly and turned to him. “Wha-?”

He was smiling. “Well, Midnight and I had another talk while you were showering. He is of the opinion that you would make a great companion for me on my missions. He thinks I need someone to keep me safe. “

“Companion or partner?”

“Partner. “

“What make you think so?”

He pulled her back to his chest so she was listening to the rumbling there as much as his words. “Now that I have you, now that we are an ‘us’ I want to share everything with you. The thought of me leaving at any given time and leaving you behind just won’t do. I want you with me. All the time. What do you think? Do you want to travel the world, righting wrongs, saving people and generally being one of the good guys?”

Rose wrapped her arms around his chest and squeezed. “Hire Mickey, I want to go on an adventure, and I never want to stop.”


End file.
